A Jazzman’s Blues Review: A Melodramatic Tale With a Heart of Gold

A Jazzman's Blues Review | Leisurebyte

Director: Tyler Perry

Date Created: 2022-09-23 12:30

Editor's Rating:
3.5

American filmmaker Tyler Perry‘s new film, A Jazzman’s Blues, is a heart-wrenching drama set in the late 30s and 40s. The screenplay explores the story of two lovers, separated by time and culture, against the backdrop of the South. As visible from the title, the film is layered with Jazz music, which plays an integral character of its own.

The film has a runtime of 128 minutes.

– No Spoilers –

A Jazzman’s Blues Review

The film starts in Hopewell County, in the state of Georgia, in 1987. An aged Black woman walks her way to the office of a white man and delivers several handwritten letters. Initially, the middle-aged adult seems uninterested in reading anything but changes his mind after noticing a familiar name. The story shifts back forty years in the past to a dense black neighbourhood.

Bayou, a young teenager watches his family performing the blues and attempts to rock the trumpet himself. He is introduced as a typical underconfident teen who gets enough dose of taunting from his dad and brother. Only Bayou’s protective mother can see the good in him.

During the trumpet performance, Bayou looks at Leanne for the first time. He enquires about the young lady and finds that her mother left him with his abusive granddad. Later, when Bayou is humming a song at the river embankment, Leanne confronts the lonely teenager and advises him to sing instead of blowing the trumpet.

Their first meeting sparks a vivid range of emotions in Bayou, who finds another protective figure in Leanne. Despite their family turbulence, Bayou and Leanne keep up with the meetings. And form a close and innocent bond. It’s not their mutual sadness that accelerates their love for each other, but rather the rare moment of laughter and peace that comes with it.

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The first half of the film works as a setup for separation and longing. A conventional roadmap to unrequited love and the prophecy of doom. However, it is the honest screenplay of Tyler Perry that makes it different from the rest. This time, it’s not a repeated story of lost attachment but a simple cautionary tale that has a message of less hate and more love.

I think the film in itself plays out as an open letter to endearment. The entire story is told with pure intentions, with a series of tragic events. Moreover, a lasting thought is bound to linger with the viewer. What could have been different?

The element of Jazz music and old-time blues plays a uniting role in the film. The music is the only healing part of the film and provides spacious cameos of comfort and hope. Something that is needed more often.

Tyler Perry deserves all the praise for drafting the intricacies of A Jazzman’s Blues. His vision is finer, effective, and long-lasting.

Final Thoughts

At last, the film is brilliant in all aspects. But it might feel a little slow in the middle, where the story takes its own time to develop. Rest assured, this Netflix flick is a wonderful drama with equal constituents of love and tragedy.

Watch the film streaming now on Netflix.

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