Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 4.7/10
Critic Reviews: 9
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 8,714
Spike Lee's 1990 directing effort is a jazz film, the story of a fictional trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington). He leads a quintet at the Beneath the Underground club with a flashy saxophonist named Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes). Though Shadow takes a few too many solos, everything seems fine in Bleek's life. Trouble soon arises, however, and he is forced to make decisions regarding both his best friend Giant (Spike Lee), and his relationships with two women. Giant, his manager
Dec 28, 2004
MCA Universal Home Video
All Critics (33) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (10) | DVD (5)
Personal rather than social issues come to the fore in Mo' Better Blues, a Spike Lee personality piece dressed in jazz trappings that puffs itself up like Bird but doesn't really fly.
Though it's full of striking visual ideas and actorly turns, it never fully convinces.
Mo' Better Blues is not a great film, but it's an interesting one, which is almost as rare.
From characters to camera angles, this story of a self-absorbed jazz trumpeter is one long cliche, the kind that might make his most loyal admirers wince and wonder, 'Spike, what happened?'
For the only time in his remarkable career, Spike Lee has failed to tell it like it is.
If Lee was striving to convey a fuller sense of the jazz musician's life, of the connections between black life and black music, or a deeper, more soulful feeling for the music itself, his efforts fall short.
It's a burning, feeling film of impulses, bringing out the best in the filmmaker, who used to create miniature moviegoing events with his releases, before He Got Game came along and smothered his good taste.
It's tight, suspenseful, funny and packed with great music.
Full of wonderful music, grand visuals, and melodramatic plot twists, the movie is laced with very funny moments, as well as interesting insights into the world of jazz and the plight of the dedicated musician.
Denzel, Wesley and Co are fine, but Mo' Better Blues hits too many bum notes.
Centering on the career of a jazz musician (well played by Denzel Washington, just before he became a star), this mid-range picture has nice production values but the drama is too diffuse, lacking the edge of Spike Lee's more overtly political works.
Spike Lee's film is filled with promising ideas and moments of technical virtuosity.
Despite stylish camerawork and sturdy acting, this lengthy indulgence succeeds neither as jazz movie nor as cautionary tale.
Atmospheric character study by Lee with a bravely unlikable Denzel Washington.
what an incredible movie. i dont care for spike lee's themes of racial distinction in most of his films, and some of it that was present in this film were annoying, but this film was too brilliant not to love. it has quickly become one of my favorite movies of all time. i tried to identify wether this was a film
June 3, 2007
Super Reviewer
Middling effort from Spike Lee. It had some good scenes and it was well acted, shot etc. I just didn't really like Denzel's character and I think I kind of was supposed to. It also went on longer than the material required.
September 27, 2008Super Reviewer
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