The Review: Love Jones

Love Jones 7/10

I liked Love Jones. This is a continuing series that L. has started getting me to watch famous and well known Black movies that I managed to hear of but never see. This is about this photographer lady (a paying gig only in movies) named Nina who recently split from her fiance and this dude named Darius who does spoken word poetry that gets lady draws wet. He meets Nina right before he goes on stage and does a poem in her name. She don't want him after her last relationship ended so badly but this dude is persistent. Like, scary persistent. He spots her at his friends record store and gets her address and phone number from a check she used to pay for some CD's. He just shows up at her place. Its creepy. They go on a date and bone down but both are playing it off like its not serious to their friends. Darius is a ladies man and seems afraid to admit he likes Nina as much as he does. Oh, I forgot to mention at one point Nina starts seeing Darius' friend Hollywood who is a dick. He uses her to flaunt and rub it in Darius' face that he has her.

One day Nina's ex shows up and its never clear what happened to cause their breakup. He wants her to come to New York and stay with him. She lets Darius know and he plays it off like its all fine since they're not dating. She is testing his ass to see how he responds and he fails. Darius immediately hooks up with someone and Nina is having a shitty time with her ex and leaves his ass. She puts her engagement ring on his finger while he is sleeping and bounces. She and Darius give it another go even though he is still in contact with this other chick. He is struggling to write and they have a fight that ends with her giving his keys back. She gets a great job in New York and Darius publishes his book of poetry. He did try to chase her down at a train station but missed her. A year or so later Nina comes back to do some poetry of her own and does not see Darius watching. She leaves and he finally catches up with her and they live happily ever after. I liked that this movie didn't have any funerals or people getting shot at. Just two people who probably shouldn't be in a relationship because you know Darius is gonna cheat on her. And another thing, people have the weirdest definition of “friends” in these movies. I don't even have enemies as terrible as the friends in these movies.

Larenz Tate as Darius Lovehall

Nia Long as Nina Mosley

Isaiah Washington as Savon Garrison

Lisa Nicole Carson as Josie Nichols

Bill Bellamy as Hollywood

Leonard Roberts as Eddie Coles

Bernadette Speakes as Sheila Downes

Khalil Kain as Marvin Cox

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