I watched Mo Better Blues and I thought it's held up well over the years- hard to believe it's over 30 years old now. The camera work is impressive and the design of the film is fantastic. I was stunned by the use of colour in the scene where both of Denzel Washington's love interests come to hear him play at his club.
I want to say I wanted to watch the film as someone who's loved jazz all my life. The music is very good. I wanted to see more about what jazz meant to Bleek, Shadow, and their bandmates. Bleek's dedication to his music is well portrayed, but I wanted to know how more about how they felt about playing jazz. There are several shots of posters on their walls with Coltrane and Duke Ellington and albums by Billie Holiday in their apartments. I wanted to know more about their inspirations and their drive to play jazz in the 1990s. It would have been great if the film also revealed more about the jazz scene in New York and Brooklyn including more about the fans as well as the performers.
Mo Better Blues reminded me of Born to be Blue, the 2015 biography of trumpist Chet Baker. Born to Be Blue dramatised how Baker was beaten by thugs who smashed his teeth and face, and how he struggled to regain his ability to play Mo Better Blues only shows Bleek's anguish and his attempts to recover fairly briefly: it seems Bleek gives up at his first appearance despite the support from Shadow and his former manager Giant. I was wondering how Bleek supports himself and his family afterwards. I really didn't believe Indigo would take him back after her telling Bleek how selfish he is and how she realises he only wants her because he wants her to save his life - and she must be aware his other old girlfriend is now with Shadow making a career for herself as a singer. It's nice the film ends on a happy note, but it felt a bit too pat.
One thing I want to add: Lee faced criticism for his portrayal of the Jewish clubowners. I cringed when the Flatbush brothers appeared. They are stereotypes: negative stereotypes. I'm not objecting that they were portrayed as being stingy towards Bleek, Giant, and their quartet. There were many performers who felt that they were exploited by clubowners and record industry personnel, and Giant is a poor manager. But Giant is not a stereotype of a bad manager or a stereotype of a gambling addict, he's a person. The other characters are portrayed as having more than one layer. Not Mo and Josh Flatbush: they are exactly alike, obsessed with numbers and money. Even worse they're portrayed with big glasses and big noses. I felt very let down by Spike Lee.
I want to say I wanted to watch the film as someone who's loved jazz all my life. The music is very good. I wanted to see more about what jazz meant to Bleek, Shadow, and their bandmates. Bleek's dedication to his music is well portrayed, but I wanted to know how more about how they felt about playing jazz. There are several shots of posters on their walls with Coltrane and Duke Ellington and albums by Billie Holiday in their apartments. I wanted to know more about their inspirations and their drive to play jazz in the 1990s. It would have been great if the film also revealed more about the jazz scene in New York and Brooklyn including more about the fans as well as the performers.
Mo Better Blues reminded me of Born to be Blue, the 2015 biography of trumpist Chet Baker. Born to Be Blue dramatised how Baker was beaten by thugs who smashed his teeth and face, and how he struggled to regain his ability to play Mo Better Blues only shows Bleek's anguish and his attempts to recover fairly briefly: it seems Bleek gives up at his first appearance despite the support from Shadow and his former manager Giant. I was wondering how Bleek supports himself and his family afterwards. I really didn't believe Indigo would take him back after her telling Bleek how selfish he is and how she realises he only wants her because he wants her to save his life - and she must be aware his other old girlfriend is now with Shadow making a career for herself as a singer. It's nice the film ends on a happy note, but it felt a bit too pat.
One thing I want to add: Lee faced criticism for his portrayal of the Jewish clubowners. I cringed when the Flatbush brothers appeared. They are stereotypes: negative stereotypes. I'm not objecting that they were portrayed as being stingy towards Bleek, Giant, and their quartet. There were many performers who felt that they were exploited by clubowners and record industry personnel, and Giant is a poor manager. But Giant is not a stereotype of a bad manager or a stereotype of a gambling addict, he's a person. The other characters are portrayed as having more than one layer. Not Mo and Josh Flatbush: they are exactly alike, obsessed with numbers and money. Even worse they're portrayed with big glasses and big noses. I felt very let down by Spike Lee.