Simply Perfect

Great Film overall

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

John Sayles and Maggie Renzi have offered their audiences so many entertaining 'slice of life' movies but this is the best one yet. Slow and lazy times in the South don't necessarily mean the living is easy . . . Tyrone has to make some heavy-duty decisions if he wants to stay in business . . . decisions that could make or break not only his business but his reputation as well. f you have your own business you may feel more anxiety as Tyrone tries to bring in customers. And the music is not to be missed. Blues and Keb'Mo' and rockin'roll music are an integral part of the narrative. The love story between two of the younger generation (don't want to give away a spoiler) is very sweet. High quality ensemble cast.The relationships between the characters play true to real life.

I tuned into this one while trolling for a film and became immediately absorbed. The film interlocks several plots, as 'The Waltons' used to do -- the problem of keeping the night spot out of the hands of the criminal creditors, the issue of the unfulfilled wife (nicely mirrored by the alcoholic white woman for whom she is a servant), young love developing between the guitar player and lovely China Doll, a dispute between two cotton pickers (one a city slicker, the other a local field hand), the sheriff who, of course, is a racist but who loves un-spiced fried chicken, the inevitable tug of fundamentalist religion on the underclass of a rural town, and two waifs who end the film with a mime of the musicians they hope to be. I confess that I was stationed in southern Georgia a little after the time of this film and found my own experiences coming back vividly. It is a warm film, drawing on an ominous set of possibilities lurking behind the action, and it doesn't cheat with its interlocking happy endings. What a surprise!

In rural Alabama in 1950, Tyrone "Pinetop" Purvis is struggling to make ends meet at his club, The Honeydripper. With too many bills due, he pins all his hopes on promoting a show by the popular Guitar Sam. But when Sam doesn't turn up, Pinetop hatches a crazy scheme to run the concert anyway …Another richly observed, well written and beautifully acted period drama by Sayles, sort of a companion piece to Matewan. Its strengths are many; an interesting story with great characters - we want Pinetop to come through despite his faults - excellent photography and terrific music from that great shifting period between blues and rock and roll. Best of all is the incredibly talented cast, all of whom bring a rich individuality to their roles; I especially like Dutton and Hamilton, but contemporary bluesman Keb' Mo' pretty much steals the show as Possum, the mysterious blind geetar-picker. It's one of a few movies which successfully mixes actors and musicians in the cast, each bringing out the best in the other, and Sayles' regular composer Mason Daring's music is a enchanting mix of old standards cleverly interwoven with new material. There are many terrific scenes - Delilah swaying in the revival tent as she struggles with her faith, Pinetop's story of the servant left alone with the master's piano, Sonny singing Midnight Special in his jail cell, all the cotton-fields scenes. Artfully shot by British cameraman Dick Pope in authentic Alabama locations, this is one of those well-crafted, truly American movies, which provides a rich historical escape into a colourful and fascinating landscape. The director appears in one of his usual minor roles as the clipboard-carrying no-nonsense liquor salesman.

I got "Honeydripper" based on the sleeve information, which made it seem like it might be interesting in the same way that the excellent Samuel L. Jackson vehicle "Black Snake Moan" was. The movie did keep my attention somewhat, but I was disappointed with its slow pace and meandering nature. Plus, the director could have done a better job of depicting basic elements of the plot. For instance, on the "big night" that is supposed to be making money for the club, there appears to be about 12 to 15 people in the nightclub. I don't think he could have made enough money to pay expenses on that. Anyway, I guess disappointment is my basic reaction. If you're interested in blues in the integrated Deep South, check out the aforementioned "Black Snake Moan." It is a superior movie.