Rotten
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.
Variety Staff, Variety
Overview
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.
Director and cast
- Spike Lee Director
- Denzel Washington as Bleek Gilliam
- Spike Lee as Giant
- Wesley Snipes as Shadow Henderson (Sax)
- Giancarlo Esposito as Left Hand Lacey (Piano)
- Robin Harris as Butterbean Jones
- Joie Lee as Indigo
- Bill Nunn as Bottom Hammer
- John Turturro as Moe Flatbush
- Dick Anthony Williams as Big Stop Williams
- Cynda Williams as Clarke Bentancourt
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
71%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Though it's full of striking visual ideas and actorly turns, it never fully convinces.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Rotten
Despite stylish camerawork and sturdy acting, this lengthy indulgence succeeds neither as jazz movie nor as cautionary tale.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Mo' Better Blues is not a great film, but it's an interesting one, which is almost as rare.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten
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?'
Caryn James, New York Times
More films
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Drama · History · PG-13
The retelling of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette - from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at fifteen to her reign as queen at nineteen and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
- Runtime
- 2h 3m
- Director
- Sofia Coppola
- Cast
- Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Steve Coogan
IMDb
6.5
Rotten Tomatoes
57%
Metacritic
64
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Drama · History · Romance · PG-13
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
- Runtime
- 2h 26m
- Director
- Rob Marshall
- Cast
- Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh
IMDb
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes
35%
Metacritic
54
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Crime · Drama · Mystery · Thriller · R
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
- Runtime
- 2h 18m
- Director
- Curtis Hanson
- Cast
- Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe
IMDb
8.2
Rotten Tomatoes
99%
Metacritic
91
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Drama · History · G
From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas af...
- Runtime
- 3h 19m
- Director
- George Stevens
- Cast
- Max von Sydow, Michael Anderson Jr., Carroll Baker
IMDb
6.6
Rotten Tomatoes
43%
Up Close & Personal (1996)
Drama · Romance · PG-13
Tally Atwater has a dream: to be a prime-time network newscaster. She pursues this dream with nothing but ambition, raw talent and a homemade demo tape. Warren Justice is a brilliant, hard edged, veteran newsman. He sees Tally has talent and becomes her mentor. Tally’s career takes a meteoric rise and she and Warren fall in love. The r...
- Runtime
- 1h 59m
- Director
- Jon Avnet
- Cast
- Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing
IMDb
6.2
Rotten Tomatoes
31%
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
IMDb
6.4
Metacritic
46
Banana (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions fight over a delicious banana... but is that all they want?!
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin
IMDb
7.6
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
IMDb
7.1
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel
IMDb
6.8
Gru, mi villano favorito presenta: La locura de los minions (2010)
Animation · Comedy
Comments
Talk about the film with other members