A Jazzman’s Blues review: A well-paced romantic period-drama

A Jazzman’s Blues follows the story of Bayou and Leanne’s forbidden romance from the 1930s and ’40s. The movie is now available to stream on Netflix.

Story

A black boy named Bayou, living in Hopewell, Georgia, during the 1930s, falls in love with Leanne, a light-skinned girl from the neighborhood.

Leanne was the only one, apart from his mother, who adored Bayou’s talent as a singer, while his father and half-brother despised him for being slow and sensitive.

Leanne and Bayou met every night and grew fond of each other to the point where they wanted to marry. The moment Leanne’s mother found out about it, she decided to take her away to Boston.

As time went by, Bayou continued pursuing Leanne, and they did cross paths again, but every time they tried to come together, the people around them interfered and ripped them apart.

Performances

Joshua Boone as Bayou is certainly the life of the whole film, as he should be. Despite the fact that the film gets melodramatic at times, Boone’s performance is pretty well-balanced.

Amirah Vann as Hattie Mae brings out the strongest performance from the supporting cast in the film. She owns every single frame she is in.

Solea Pfeiffer as Leanne does give her best but is often overshadowed by Boone, as his character is someone with whom the viewers will sympathize more.

The chemistry between Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer is an important aspect of the film that helps the story work.

Ryan Eggold as Ira is probably the second-best out of all the other supporting artists, bringing quite a likable character with a heartfelt scene in the movie.

Positives

A Jazzman’s Blues brings a strong script for the melodrama Tyler Perry is presenting here. The dialogues will resonate with the audience, and they often tell a lot about the characters onscreen.

The film is pretty well-paced and makes the most of its two hours. It takes time to build a good story and world.

The music is something worth taking note of. The new recordings of classic jazz music are a blessing to the ears.

It ranges from the rough sounds played around nature or at a joint, to the ones played in front of a huge audience at a nightclub.

Negatives

A satisfying story indeed, but A Jazzaman’s Blues continues to be more or less like a soap opera. It’s often melodramatic.

The supporting characters rarely add much to the main plot, except for Amirah Vann and Ryan Eggold’s characters.

Verdict

A Jazzman’s Blues tells a tragic love story that reeks of melodrama. The chemistry between Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer is something that will keep the story afloat for the viewers who may want to see the expected ending.

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Also Read: A Jazzman’s Blues ending explained: What happens to Bayou and Leanne?