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Poetic Justice

1993

John Singleton

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

5.0

520

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 ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	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)"	POS
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"It has the air of something awkwardly fabricated to reach an inspirational goal."	NEG
United States	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."	POS
United Kingdom	Angie Errigo Empire	"Some good performances are balanced out by the film's contrivances and gratuitously foul-mouthed characters (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United States	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."	POS
United States	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."	NEU
United States	Leonard Klady Variety	"A hermetic inner-city love story elevated by resonant social commentary."	POS
United States	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."	NEG

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