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Poetic Justice

1993

John Singleton

Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Joe Torry ...

5.0

521

Drama. Romance After witnessing the murder of her first and only boyfriend, young Justice decides to forget about college and become a South Central Los Angeles hairdresser. Avoiding friends, the only way for her to cope with her depression is by composing beautiful poetry. On her way to a convention in Oakland, she is forced to ride with an independent-minded postal worker whom she has not gotten along with in the past. After various arguments ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"'Boyz N the Hood' was one of the most powerful and influential films of its time (...) 'Poetic Justice' is not its equal (...) it is a softer, gentler film, more of a romance than a commentary on social conditions (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"It has the air of something awkwardly fabricated to reach an inspirational goal."
		Hal Hinson The Washington Post	"It's more a brave movie than it is a good one, but at least Singleton has faced the unknown. And he deserves credit for the attempt."
		Angie Errigo Empire	"Some good performances are balanced out by the film's contrivances and gratuitously foul-mouthed characters (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"Singleton passes the director's acid test: the difficult second movie. This proves he's no flash N the pan."
		Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"After a deceptively funny and offbeat beginning, the movie keeps restarting; each new start shows some promise, and Singleton's talent never really deserts him-but the parts don't come together to create a unified story."
		Leonard Klady Variety	"A hermetic inner-city love story elevated by resonant social commentary."
		Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	"Singleton splatters his ambition all over the screen; he mixes up violence, romance, comedy, rage, and - yes - poetry. Yet he barely demonstrates the discipline to shape a scene."

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