Review of Poetic Justice (1993) by Toni H — 28 Jun 2011

This is John Singleton's follow up to Boyz n the Hood which has been hailed as a classic. Many of the same actors and actresses star in this film and perform very well with the exception of Chi-town, Tupac's friend. That guy just sucked so bad at everything he did.

Janet Jackson and the late, great Tupac Shakur are memorable and shine as Lucky and Justice. Q-tip from a Tribe Called Quest has a cameo with his music playing in the background and the beautiful poetry spoken by Janet in this film was written by Maya Angelou, who also makes a cameo appearance. Those facts along with the hip-hop soundtrack, drug dealin', weed smokin' Ton Loc, and the South Central Los Angeles life that was rarely seen on film at the time makes this another classic for me.

However, I had to give it a low rating because I felt the movie dragged quite a bit. There was waaayyy too much Regina King and baby momma screaming for my liking. I think there was so much similarity to the Boyz n the Hood film, not just the actors but also the film techniques Singleton uses, that I felt like this was just a "softer" version of the 1991 Cuba Gooding Jr. classic. I don't like using the word "softer" in comparison to Boyz n the Hood here but I can't help but feel that if I were a woman, I would rate this movie higher. I guess that is just the sexist, chauvinistic male inside me speaking.

All in all, film techniques, dragged out plot, and a few lame actors aside, the movie is important because it shows a part of African American life that has been, and still is neglected in our country. It follows a woman through a journey of healing, and also self discovery. It is important to see the friends at a family reunion where there is no drama, only love, and an African festival where there is a feeling of appreciation of African culture and history. Those were scenes of how it could be and how it used to be, then they head back to LA where, homicide, drug abuse, and domestic violence is everywhere. This LA which is like hell on Earth has traumatized this young couple, (Tupac and Janet), making their road to healing, healthy relationships, and a healthy, happy lifestyle very difficult.

These are all important things that Singleton, Maya, Janet, and Pac tried to get through to the audience but did not succeed for many viewers. If the film were made better, I think more of the white audience that saw this film would be in tune to these important facts from watching.