Love Jones
Encyclopedia
Love Jones is a 1997 American romantic drama film written and directed by Theodore Witcher, in his feature film debut. It stars Larenz Tate
and Nia Long
. Isaiah Washington
, Bill Bellamy
, and Lisa Nicole Carson
lead the supporting cast. It is considered a classic work in African-American cinema.
"What do you do after love at first sight?" That's the question posed in this story set in Chicago
. The independent film
puts a modern spin on Modern Romance
portraying two “confused lovebirds” that learn not to underestimate the powers of "a Love Jones". The story calls to question the powers of attraction
and fate
, as well as the possibilities of love at first sight
. Moreover, it questions the roles of romance and love in contemporary society
.
Two of the poems recited by Nia Long's character, Nina, were written by Sonia Sanchez
and are included in her book Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums: Love Poems.
who is giving a reading at the Sanctuary, an upscale nightclub
presenting jazz
and poetry to a bohemian
clientele. Shortly before his set, he meets Nina Mosley (Nia Long), a gifted photographer who recently lost her job. They exchange small talk, and Darius makes his interest clear when he retitles his love poem "A Blues For Nina". A mutual attraction is sparked between them, and Darius invites himself back to her place to persistently ask her out. They have sex on the first date, but neither Darius or Nina are sure where to go next after this promising start. Nina has just gotten out of a relationship and isn't sure if she still cares for her old boyfriend or not, while at the same time Darius' buddies read him the riot act for wanting to give up his freedom so early on in the game. From then on, their relation and everything else change for both of them.
describes the term ‘Love Jones’ as “an overwhelming desire or attraction for someone”. In the film, the character Darius Lovehall describes it as a “gravitational pull, rendering one helpless to its power”. A Love Jones is equivalent to being hit by cupid's arrow ot love at first sight. It calls forth the idea that fate or divinity
is responsible for bringing two people together.
for African-Americans. It currently holds a 67% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes
.
Roger Ebert
awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars, and expressed "There is also a bow to the unconventional in the ending of his film. Many love stories contrive to get their characters together at the end. This one contrives, not to keep them apart, but to bring them to a bittersweet awareness that is above simple love. Some audience members would probably prefer a romantic embrace in the sunset, as the music swells. But Love Jones is too smart for that". He also noted on the acting that "It's hard to believe that Tate--so smooth, literate and attractive here--played the savage killer O-Dog in Menace II Society
. Nia Long was Brandi, one of the girl friends, in Boyz N the Hood
. Love Jones extends their range, to put it mildly".
James Berardinelli
also awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars for ReelReviews, and he determined that "There are several reasons why this film works better than the common, garden-variety love story. To begin with, the setting and texture are much different than that of most mainstream romances. The culture, in which post-college African Americans mingle while pursuing careers and relationships, represents a significant change from what we're used to. The Sanctuary, the intimate Chicago nightclub where Darius and Nina meet, is rich in its eclectic, bluesy atmosphere. And Love Joness dialogue is rarely trite. When the characters open their mouths, it usually is because they have something intelligent to say, not because they're trying to fill up dead air with meaningless words".
Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old...
and Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
. Isaiah Washington
Isaiah Washington
Isaiah Washington IV is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007.-Personal life:...
, Bill Bellamy
Bill Bellamy
William "Bill" Bellamy is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He currently resides in California. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, where he is credited for creating or uttering before a televised audience, the phrase "booty call", described as...
, and Lisa Nicole Carson
Lisa Nicole Carson
Lisa Nicole Carson is an American actress. She is best known for her work on U.S. television, including supporting roles in NBC's ER and Fox's Ally McBeal...
lead the supporting cast. It is considered a classic work in African-American cinema.
"What do you do after love at first sight?" That's the question posed in this story set in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
puts a modern spin on Modern Romance
Modern Romance
-Cast:* Albert Brooks .... Robert Cole* Kathryn Harrold .... Mary Harvard* Bruno Kirby .... Jay-Plot:Robert Cole is a Hollywood film editor right in the middle of cutting a new science fiction film with George Kennedy. His relationship with very patient bank executive Mary Harvard is caught...
portraying two “confused lovebirds” that learn not to underestimate the powers of "a Love Jones". The story calls to question the powers of attraction
Attraction
In general, an attraction draws one object towards another one. The term may have the following specific meanings.* In physics, attraction may refer to gravity or to the electromagnetic force* Attractiveness...
and fate
Fate
Fate commonly refers to destiny, a predetermined course of events.Fate may also refer to:* Moirae or Fates, in Greek mythology* Time and fate deities, personifications of time and human fate in polytheistic religions- Film and television :...
, as well as the possibilities of love at first sight
Love at first sight
Love at first sight is a common trope in Western literature, in which a person, character, or speaker feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first sight of them...
. Moreover, it questions the roles of romance and love in contemporary society
Contemporary society
Contemporary society, according to social and political scientists, is characterised by at least three fundamental directions:* increasing human interconnection through a network of relationships that is progressively covering the whole planet;...
.
Two of the poems recited by Nia Long's character, Nina, were written by Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez is an African American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement. She has authored over a dozen books of poetry, as well as plays and children's books...
and are included in her book Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums: Love Poems.
Synopsis
In Chicago, Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) is a poetPoet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who is giving a reading at the Sanctuary, an upscale nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
presenting jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and poetry to a bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
clientele. Shortly before his set, he meets Nina Mosley (Nia Long), a gifted photographer who recently lost her job. They exchange small talk, and Darius makes his interest clear when he retitles his love poem "A Blues For Nina". A mutual attraction is sparked between them, and Darius invites himself back to her place to persistently ask her out. They have sex on the first date, but neither Darius or Nina are sure where to go next after this promising start. Nina has just gotten out of a relationship and isn't sure if she still cares for her old boyfriend or not, while at the same time Darius' buddies read him the riot act for wanting to give up his freedom so early on in the game. From then on, their relation and everything else change for both of them.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Larenz Tate Larenz Tate Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old... |
Darius Lovehall |
| Nia Long Nia Long Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There... |
Nina Mosley |
| Isaiah Washington Isaiah Washington Isaiah Washington IV is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007.-Personal life:... |
Savon Garrison |
| Lisa Nicole Carson Lisa Nicole Carson Lisa Nicole Carson is an American actress. She is best known for her work on U.S. television, including supporting roles in NBC's ER and Fox's Ally McBeal... |
Josie Nichols |
| Bill Bellamy Bill Bellamy William "Bill" Bellamy is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He currently resides in California. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, where he is credited for creating or uttering before a televised audience, the phrase "booty call", described as... |
Hollywood |
| Leonard Roberts Leonard Roberts -Early life:Leonard Roberts was born on November 17, 1972, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1995, Roberts graduated from DePaul University Theater School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting.-Career:... |
Eddie Coles |
| Bernadette L. Clarke | Sheila Downes |
| Khalil Kain Khalil Kain Khaliloeron Kain is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Raheem Porter in the 1992 film Juice, and as Darnell Wilkes on the UPN/CW sitcom, Girlfriends.-Life and career:... |
Marvin Cox |
| Cerall Duncan | Troy Garrison |
| David Nisbet | Publisher |
| Simon James | Roger Lievsey |
| Oona Hart Oona Hart Oona Hart is a model from Evanston, Illinois. She played Lynette in Vanilla Sky and also had appearances in the TV series Sliders and the film Love Jones. She is well-known for her Levi's jeans ad in which she is chased into a tree by a dog.-External links:... |
Model — Lievsey Studio |
| Jaqueline Fleming Jaqueline Fleming Jaqueline Fleming is a Danish-born American actress. Fleming has appeared in Enemies Among Us, Red, and the upcoming film Contraband.-External links:... |
Lisa Martin |
| Manao DeMuth | Nina's Assistant |
| Marie-Françoise Theodore | Tracey Powell |
Origin of title
Urbandictionary.comUrban Dictionary
Urban Dictionary is a Web-based dictionary of slang words and phrases, which contained over 6 million definitions . Submissions are regulated by volunteer editors and rated by site visitors...
describes the term ‘Love Jones’ as “an overwhelming desire or attraction for someone”. In the film, the character Darius Lovehall describes it as a “gravitational pull, rendering one helpless to its power”. A Love Jones is equivalent to being hit by cupid's arrow ot love at first sight. It calls forth the idea that fate or divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
is responsible for bringing two people together.
Reception
Love Jones received positive reviews from critics and is considered a cult classicCult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
for African-Americans. It currently holds a 67% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars, and expressed "There is also a bow to the unconventional in the ending of his film. Many love stories contrive to get their characters together at the end. This one contrives, not to keep them apart, but to bring them to a bittersweet awareness that is above simple love. Some audience members would probably prefer a romantic embrace in the sunset, as the music swells. But Love Jones is too smart for that". He also noted on the acting that "It's hard to believe that Tate--so smooth, literate and attractive here--played the savage killer O-Dog in Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
. Nia Long was Brandi, one of the girl friends, in Boyz N the Hood
Boyz N the Hood
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood film written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Angela Bassett and Regina King, the film depicts life in poor South Central Los Angeles, California and was filmed and released...
. Love Jones extends their range, to put it mildly".
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
also awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars for ReelReviews, and he determined that "There are several reasons why this film works better than the common, garden-variety love story. To begin with, the setting and texture are much different than that of most mainstream romances. The culture, in which post-college African Americans mingle while pursuing careers and relationships, represents a significant change from what we're used to. The Sanctuary, the intimate Chicago nightclub where Darius and Nina meet, is rich in its eclectic, bluesy atmosphere. And Love Joness dialogue is rarely trite. When the characters open their mouths, it usually is because they have something intelligent to say, not because they're trying to fill up dead air with meaningless words".
Influence
- The success of Love Jones is partially responsible for an increased interest in poetry slams and the spoken wordSpoken wordSpoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
art form as a whole in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, HBO began airing Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, hosted by actor/rapper Mos DefMos DefDante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
. - Internationally renowned former bodybuilder Flex WheelerFlex WheelerKenneth Wheeler , better known as Flex Wheeler, is a former American IFBB professional bodybuilder.-Biography:...
counts Love Jones as one of his favorite films. He named his son Darius after Larenz Tate's character, and his daughter Nia after actress Nia Long. (Muscle & Fitness magazine, September 2000) - Singer AshantiAshanti (singer)Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
has had the two stars Nia Long and Larenz Tate in two of her music videos.