donaldricco This movie has three things I love - Denzel, jazz, and baseball. And yet, I did not like this movie at all. Straight off, I take two stars away because Spike is in it, and he can't act - at all. Just horrible, like Keanu horrible. Another two stars off because of the Spike Lee weird camera thing. This time two spinny camera turns in the first thirty minutes! Dizzy is not a good thing for a filmgoer. And one more star subtracted for the dialogue constantly being one on top of another. Take the opening scene for example. So many voices are delivering their lines at once, so much so, that I couldn't make out who the characters were (turns out it was mom, dad, son). Spike has so much to say, but he runs right over most of it. A shame.

Michael Neumann Spike Lee's latest 'joint' is a jazz variation of 'She's Gotta Have It', with the genders reversed: maladjusted trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) juggles two lovers while indulging an almost neurotic addiction to his music. His compulsive behavior is, presumably, a consequence of strict childhood practice habits, but if all work and no play have made Bleek a dull boy, the same can't be said of the film itself: Lee's self-conscious homage to music and fatherhood suffers from a dizzy overabundance of distracting, Scorsese-influenced 'style'. The film has been criticized for its stereotypical supporting roles, but the primary characters are likewise only skin deep. Except for some early childhood Freudian motivation, Bleek remains more or less a cipher, and his contrived, fantasy redemption (after a series of false endings, each one more lame than the last) seems tacked on only to provide a neat, symmetrical resolution.

lastliberal Focus, my man, focus. Your world is about to come tumbling down around you. While you are playing that trumpet, your sax player (Wesley Snipes) is scheming about his own band, the two lovers (Joie Lee & Cynda Williams) that you are torn between are tired of being ignored, and your manager (Spike Lee) is so deep into the bookie that he will never get out and drag you down with him.Work and love. How many of us have been torn between the two. We focus on one and the other slides. Denzell Washington (Traing Day, Glory) is Bleek Gilliam, the leader of a jazz quintet who is so focused on his music that he ignored all that is going on around him until it is too late. What do you do the day after your world comes crashing down? Where do you go when facing the brick wall? Bleek has to face these questions, as we all do at one time or another.Sure there is great music to listen to in this film, but there is so much more to ponder while listening.

DunnDeeDaGreat Denzel Washington and Spike Lee remind me of Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi when it comes to actors and directors.This is the first film they worked on together and it was a success. The storyline and music are all great and Spike continues to make good movie. I give this film ***8 out of ****.