Starring Larenz Tate, Nia Long, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Nicole Carson and Bill Bellamy
USA, 1997
Larenz Tate and Mia Long make an appealing couple in this then-contemporary tale of post-college romance among young Black artists on the Chicago scene. She's trying to make it as a photographer, he's a struggling writer. They meet when she sees him give an erotically charged poetry reading at an atmospheric jazz/poetry/blues club. It's not quite love at first sight -- there are many ups and downs as he first pursues her, they tentatively start a romance, she runs off to see if things will work with her ex, he has a dalliance with another woman, etc. Spoiler alert: they end up together!
The last half of that paragraph is not that important. The first half is what makes the movie -- the characters and setting are very specific and have a clearly unique point of view that sets this movie apart from many of its counterparts. This may be a romantic comedy/drama but it is an intelligent one with characters who have clear personalities who talk about things that are worth talking about and interesting to listen to.
I looked up writer/director Theodore Witcher only to see that this was the first and last feature he ever directed. That's a shame because he has a unique voice I'd like to hear more of, and assume it would only get better from here. Hopefully things will align for him to come out with something else in the future.
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