Info:

Release: August 3rd, 1990

Director: Spike Lee

Music by: Bill Lee

Starring: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, John Turturro, Joie Lee, Cynda Williams

Studio: Universal Pictures

Runtime: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: Financially irresponsible Giant (Spike Lee) manages a jazz group, but his sax player, Shadow (Wesley Snipes), wants to replace him with a better businessman. Bleak (Denzel Washington), the band's trumpeter, then tries to defend his close pal Giant, leading to a power struggle between the two musicians. Meanwhile, as Bleak tries to straighten things out with his bandmates and manager, he also must choose to be with either sweet teacher Indigo (Joie Lee) or sultry singer Clarke (Cynda Williams).

Review: This is a great film about how one's passion can become their obsession and overtake their life completely. Bleeck is a real selfish asshole, he pretty much lives only for the trumpet while he fools around with two different women and acts like a control freak towards his band mates. That's actually crazy that he fucks up that badly and makes the same mistake during intercourse twice with both Clarke and Indigo, cool scene though where we become just as disoriented as he is as both arguments are shown at once. It is both karmic and tragic when his lip gets split open for trying to help Giant (who's another asshole for a different reason), that's a tough scene to watch where Shadow invites him onstage to play and he can't do it anymore. I loved the ending montage of him marrying Indigo, having a son, and then at the end, letting his son go and play with his friends instead of keeping him inside all day to practice the trumpet. Making sure not to repeat the same mistakes his own mother made.

Mo' Better Blues (1990)