LOVE JONES
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *
"Have you been listening?" asks lead character Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate). "The point is. The point is. I don't know what the point is." And neither does LOVE JONES's writer and director Theodore Witcher.
I suppose that if this lame excuse for a film has a point, it is that blacks can make formulaic romantic comedies too. In less than a week I have seen two romantic comedies, the other being FOOLS RUSH IN, that are neither romantic nor funny. As bad as FOOLS RUSH IN is, at least it had enough energy to keep your interest. In contrast, LOVE JONES is lifeless. There is not a character in the show worth caring about, and the leads demonstrate little genuine chemistry. I was in a fairly full audience and rarely heard more than a few snickers -- not a good sign for a comedy.
Ernest Holzmann's warm cinematography evokes an immediate intimacy that promises more that the show ever delivers. When the characters begin to speak, one of the problems of the film becomes evident. All of the characters speak in a low, monotonic voice, making their dialog sometimes unintelligible. To exacerbate this, the loud background noise frequently drowns out the speech. With proper straining, one can make out their lines, but then the more substantial problem emerges. The writer constructs the dialog out of random snippets of small talk laced with heavy profanities. I go to enough art house films to be able to tune out the profanities, but LOVE JONES's dialog is vacuous with or without the cussing. I found myself wishing for the smart, funny dialog and crisp direction of Spike Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT.
Female lead Nina Mosley is played by Nia Long. Both Long and Tate are good looking actors, but they are unable to make any talent they have shine through this material. I suspect the director got just the mood he wanted, but it is a formula I have seen innumerable times before and without a decent script, sitting through it again was painful.
I'll give you a few points of the story, and you can easily guess most of the rest. With typical 1990's movie morals, Nina and Darius have sex and spend the night together on their first date. Darius claims interest only in sex, but falls in love as well. Nina favors romance but wants to test his level of commitment so she tries to make him jealous. The only scene with any imagination occurs late in the picture. She invites him to her apartment to sleep over and then temporarily denies him sex. This induces mass anguish on both of their parts.
Maysie Hoy's editing has jarring cuts between scenes and lets most scenes live on way past their welcome. I became reacquainted with my watch during the show. Finally, the film did end, and I was released. Had I not been at a screening, I would have walked out, and if I had left, I would have missed nothing.
Toward the end of the picture, one of Darius's friends gives him some advice. "It ain't supposed to make sense," he says. "Love, passion -- it is what it is." Well, this show made little sense and had little credible love or passion. I hope that for his next film, first-time writer and director Witcher will either avoid formula films or, if he feels compelled to make another, find something fresh to say.
LOVE JONES runs too long at 1:50. It is not yet rated, but will certainly get an R for a little sex, a little nudity, crude sexual humor, and a lot of profanity. If teenagers go, they should be mature. I would not wish this film on anyone else so I give it thumbs down and a single *.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: February 16, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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