1993 film directed by John Singleton
This article is about the 1993 John Singleton film. For the 1972 Hollis Frampton film, see
Hapax Legomena
.
Poetic Justice
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/Poetic_Justice_%281993_movie_poster%29.jpg/220px-Poetic_Justice_%281993_movie_poster%29.jpg) Theatrical release poster
|
Directed by
| John Singleton
|
---|
Written by
| John Singleton
|
---|
Produced by
| John Singleton
Steve Nicolaides
|
---|
Starring
| |
---|
Cinematography
| Peter Lyons Collister
|
---|
Edited by
| Bruce Cannon
|
---|
Music by
| Stanley Clarke
|
---|
Distributed by
| Columbia Pictures
|
---|
Release date
|
- July 23, 1993
(
1993-07-23
)
|
---|
Running time
| 109 minutes
|
---|
Country
| United States
|
---|
Language
| English
|
---|
Budget
| $14 million
[1]
|
---|
Box office
| $27.5 million
[2]
|
---|
Poetic Justice
is a 1993 American
romantic
drama film
written and directed by
John Singleton
, and starring
Janet Jackson
and
Tupac Shakur
, with
Regina King
and
Joe Torry
in supporting roles.
Poetic Justice
follows Justice (Jackson), a poet mourning the loss of her boyfriend from gun violence, who goes on a road trip from
South Central L.A.
to
Oakland
on a mail truck along with her friend (King) and a postal worker (Shakur) who she initially cannot stand but soon helps Justice deal with her depression.
Following the success of his debut film,
Boyz n the Hood
, Singleton wanted to make a film that would give a voice to young African-American women.
Jada Pinkett
,
Lisa Bonet
,
Monica Calhoun
and many other popular actresses auditioned for the role of Justice, though Singleton knew from the script's draft that the role was solely intended for Janet Jackson.
[3]
Filming took place from April 11 to July 4, 1992.
Poetic Justice
was released in the United States on July 23, 1993. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay though praised Jackson and Shakur's performances and chemistry. It reached No. 1 in the box office its opening weekend, grossing $11,728,455. It eventually grossed a total of $27,515,786. Jackson received
Academy Award
and
Golden Globe
nominations for Best Original Song for "
Again
", which also reached number one on the
Billboard
Hot 100
. The film has developed a
cult following
, especially for the chemistry between Jackson and Shakur.
[4]
Plot
[
edit
]
Justice is a young African American woman living in
South Central, Los Angeles
, named by her late mother who gave birth to her while attending
law school
. After the fatal shooting of her boyfriend Markell, Justice becomes deeply depressed, spending most of her time with her cat named Whiteboy in the house that she inherited from her grandmother, and only going out to her job at a local hair salon. A talented poet, Justice reads many of her poems (in real life written by
Maya Angelou
) throughout the film, both to other characters and in voice-over.
While she is working at the salon one day, a young postal clerk named Lucky arrives and begins flirting with her. She and her female boss Jessie rebuff his advances, pretending to be
lesbians
and mocking Lucky with their "relationship".
Lucky has also suffered tragedy in his life: his main focus is caring for his young daughter Keisha, whom he had to forcibly remove from the care of her crack-addicted mother (nicknamed "Angel"), who was using drugs and having sex with her drug dealer while leaving the child unattended in the apartment. Lucky dreams of a professional career in music and shows considerable promise, but insists that his cousin is the true talent.
Justice's friend Iesha manages to talk Justice into taking a road trip to
Oakland
with Iesha's boyfriend, Chicago, Lucky's co-worker at the post office. Justice warily accepts, mainly because she has to go to Oakland for a hair show and her car had stopped working at the last minute. Unbeknownst to Justice, Lucky is also on the trip, and she will now be sharing a postal van with him and their two mutual friends. Initially, they argue, but they soften towards each other as they gradually discover their similarities.
The quartet makes a couple of detours: the first is a family reunion barbecue they see signs for on the road, where it becomes apparent (although there were ample hints earlier) that Iesha and Chicago's relationship is troubled. Iesha openly flirts with another man at the barbecue, while Chicago broods watching her behavior. Iesha and Chicago argue in the mail truck until Justice talks to Iesha about her behavior with alcohol. Iesha throws up and tearfully apologizes to her.
At the next stop, a carnival, Lucky and Justice grow closer while discussing their lives. After leaving the carnival, they stop at a beach where each of the four contemplates their separate situations in internal monologues. Afterward, the friction between Chicago and Iesha explodes when Iesha informs Chicago that she has been seeing someone on the side, and he physically attacks her. Lucky initially decides to abstain until Justice defends Iesha by kicking Chicago in the groin, who retaliates by attacking her. Lucky knocks Chicago out, and he, Justice and a bleeding and shaken Iesha leave him behind and continue on their journey.
Lucky stops the postal van at a beach, and Justice goes to see what's wrong. She begins opening up to him about her life, and Lucky becomes sympathetic. They share a kiss, and Justice walks away apparently unsure of her feelings for Lucky. She goes back to him, and they kiss again.
When the now-trio arrive in Oakland, they receive news that Lucky's cousin, with whom he had been working on recording music, has been killed. Blaming himself for not being in Oakland sooner and believing he could have prevented the shooting had he been in town, Lucky angrily blames Justice for distracting him while they were on the road. Jessie advises Justice and Iesha about men before the hair show. Lucky's uncle and aunt give him his cousin's recording equipment. Lucky decides to give up work and take care of Keisha.
Months later, Lucky meets up with Justice again back at the hair salon, bringing Keisha. Remorseful over his conduct in Oakland and his cruel words towards Justice there, he apologizes. She smiles at him coyly and they passionately kiss. She then turns her attention to Keisha, fussing over her hair. Justice and Lucky's eyes meet over Keisha's head and they smile, as strongly connected as ever.
Cast
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
On July 23, 2013,
John Singleton
spoke with writer Lathleen Ade-Brown for
Essence
magazine and discussed the 20th anniversary of the film. The interview mentioned that in 1993, black female leads were rare and he wanted to give a voice to young African American women. He also revealed whose idea it was for
Janet Jackson
to wear the now iconic
box braids
: "That was a collaboration between myself, Janet, [dance choreographer]
Fatima Robinson
and dancer named Jossie Harris. Jossie had the braids in
Michael Jackson
’s "
Remember the Time
" video. I brought her and Fatima and a couple of other dancers over to hang out with Janet and they all became friends. I said, "Why don't we try and do Janet's hair like Jossie's hair?" We got the hairstyle from
Harlem
and just put it in a
West Coast
movie."
[3]
Jada Pinkett
,
Lisa Bonet
,
Monica Calhoun
and many other popular actresses auditioned for the role of Justice, though Singleton knew from the script's draft that the role was intended for Janet Jackson.
[3]
Rapper and actor
Ice Cube
was offered the lead role of Lucky, but declined to play the role, stating that he was not in a point in his career that he would play in romantic movies. Filming began on April 14, 1992 and ended on July 4, 1992.
Release
[
edit
]
The film opened on July 23, 1993 in the United States.
Cineplex Odeon
initially decided not to release the film at its
Universal CityWalk
Hollywood theater due to fear of violence.
Rita Walters
called Cineplex Odeon's decision racist and they agreed to delay the release until July 28. Around the country, five violent incidents occurred around theaters during the film's opening weekend, including a killing outside a Las Vegas theater.
[5]
Reception
[
edit
]
Box office
[
edit
]
Poetic Justice
made $27,515,786 in the domestic box office,
[2]
against a production budget of $14 million.
[1]
For its opening weekend it opened at number one at the US box office with over $11,700,000 in ticket sales.
[6]
[7]
[8]
It ranked 20th for the year of 1993 openings and 21st for highest R-rated movies of 1993.
Critical reception
[
edit
]
Upon its release,
Poetic Justice
received mostly negative reviews
[9]
with most critics comparing it unfavorably to Singleton's debut film
Boyz n the Hood
.
Much of the acclaim was directed to the performances by both Jackson and Shakur, with criticism stemming from the writing and story line. On
Rotten Tomatoes
the film has a 34% rating based on 32 reviews. The site's consensus states; "
Poetic Justice
is commendably ambitious and boasts a pair of appealing stars, but they're undermined by writer-director John Singleton's frustrating lack of discipline."
[10]
On
Metacritic
the film has a score of 51% based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
[11]
Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore
gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.
[12]
Roger Ebert
: "...
Boyz n the Hood
was one of the most powerful and influential films of its time, in 1991. "Poetic Justice" is not its equal, but does not aspire to be; it is a softer, gentler film, more of a romance than a commentary on social conditions." He also stated, "...
Poetic Justice
unwinds like a road picture from the early 1970s, in which the characters are introduced and then set off on a trip that becomes a journey of discovery. By the end of the film, Justice will have learned to trust and love again, and Shakur will have learned how to listen to a woman. And all of the characters - who in one way or another lack families - will begin to get a feeling for the larger African/American family to which they belong. The scene where that takes place is one of the best in the film."
[13]
Leonard Klady of
Variety
stated: "Though aiming to create a feel for the locale, Singleton periodically loses sight of audiences unfamiliar with the colorful lingo.
Poetic Justice
has a lot to commend, but discipline is not high on the list. That flaw will be a major stumbling block toward wide appeal, and overseas prospects seem particularly remote."
[14]
Kenneth Turan
of the
Los Angeles Times
called the film "a disappointement" but praised Singleton for his skills and suggested "A filmmaker who is adept at saying what’s on his mind, he will do better when he finds something he truly wants to say."
[15]
Peter Travers
of
Rolling Stone
criticized the film for "wrong turns and right-minded preachiness" but praised the young director saying: "If Singleton, 25, stumbles, it is over ambition and not the complacency of a new Hollywood hotshot riding a trend."
[16]
Vincent Canby
of
The New York Times
wrote: "Although its aspirations are high, the film works only fitfully when Mr. Singleton exercises his gift for vernacular speech, for finding the comic undertow in otherwise tragic situations, and even for parody."
[17]
Owen Gleiberman of
Entertainment Weekly
gave it a C? grade.
[18]
Richard Schickel
of
Time
panned the film "What must be said is that the new movie is simply awful: poorly structured, vulgarly written, insipidly directed, monotonously performed."
[19]
Despite the mixed reviews from contemporary film critics, the film has come to be considered one of Singleton's most enduring films.
[20]
[4]
Accolades
[
edit
]
Soundtrack
[
edit
]
The
soundtrack album
was released on June 29, 1993, through
Epic Soundtrax
, and consisted of a blend of
hip hop
and
R&B
music. It peaked at number 23 on the
Billboard
200
chart in the United States and was certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
on August 25, 1993. Three charting
singles
were released from the album: "
Indo Smoke
" by
Mista Grimm
, "
Get It Up
" by
TLC
, and "
Call Me a Mack
" by
Usher Raymond
. Recorded at
Unique Recording Studios
, New York City
[24]
The soundtrack also has the
Stevie Wonder
song "
Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer
", a track that was originally on his 1970 album
Where I'm Coming From
. The song "Definition of a Thug Nigga", recorded by
Tupac Shakur
for the film, later appeared on his 1997 posthumous album
R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Poetic Justice (1993) - Financial Information"
.
The Numbers
.
- ^
a
b
"Poetic Justice"
.
Box Office Mojo
.
- ^
a
b
c
Ade-Brown, Lathleen (July 23, 2013).
"EXCLUSIVE: John Singleton on the 20th Anniversary of 'Poetic Justice,' Working with Janet Jackson and Tupac"
.
Essence
. Retrieved
July 26,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Roberts, Amy (February 17, 2017).
"You Need To Rewatch These '90s Cult Classics"
.
Bustle
. Retrieved
October 15,
2019
.
- ^
Archerd, Army; Ayscough, Suzan (August 9, 1993).
"
'Poetic' violence surfaces"
.
Variety
. p. 11.
- ^
Fox, David J. (July 27, 1993).
"Weekend Box Office : 'Poetic' Finds Its Place in Line"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on March 3, 2016
. Retrieved
January 12,
2011
.
- ^
Fox, David J. (August 2, 1993).
"
'Sun' Rises Over 'Justice'
"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on November 2, 2012
. Retrieved
October 2,
2010
.
- ^
Fox, David J. (July 26, 1993).
"Poetic' Finds Justice at Box Office"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on November 3, 2012
. Retrieved
October 26,
2010
.
- ^
"Crix' picks".
Variety
. p. 18.
[
failed verification
]
- ^
"Poetic Justice"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
. Retrieved
March 2,
2022
.
- ^
"Poetic Justice"
.
Metacritic
.
- ^
"POETIC JUSTICE (1993) B+"
.
CinemaScore
. Archived from
the original
on December 20, 2018.
- ^
Roger Ebert
(July 23, 1993).
"Poetic Justice"
.
Chicago Sun Times
. Retrieved
April 2,
2022
.
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png)
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png)
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png)
- ^
Klady, Leonard (July 20, 1993).
"Poetic Justice"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
February 3,
2022
.
- ^
Turan, Kenneth
(July 23, 1993).
"Movie Reviews : 'Poetic Justice': Traveling on a Bumpy Road"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
ISSN
0458-3035
. Retrieved
April 2,
2022
.
- ^
Peter Travers
(July 23, 1993).
"Poetic Justice"
.
Rolling Stone
. Archived from
the original
on October 22, 2018
. Retrieved
February 23,
2022
.
- ^
Canby, Vincent
(July 23, 1993).
"Review/Film: Poetic Justice; On the Road To Redemption"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 3,
2022
.
- ^
Gleiberman, Owen
(July 23, 1993).
"Poetic Justice"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
April 2,
2022
.
- ^
Schickel, Richard
(July 26, 1993).
"Love N The Hood"
.
Time
.
- ^
Williams, Stereo (February 3, 2019).
"John Singleton on That Tupac AIDS Test: 'That Was a Joke!'
"
.
www.thedailybeast.com
. Retrieved
October 15,
2019
.
- ^
"The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners"
.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
Archived
from the original on July 6, 2011
. Retrieved
October 22,
2011
.
- ^
"Poetic Justice"
.
Golden Globe Awards
. Retrieved
July 5,
2021
.
- ^
"14th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards"
.
Golden Raspberry Awards
. Archived from
the original
on February 17, 2010
. Retrieved
October 31,
2016
.
- ^
Unique Recording Studios (April 10, 2014).
"Poetic Justice"
.
Facebook
. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2022
. Retrieved
May 24,
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]