Aspiring poets are not often looked upon in film, but when they are, they tend to be young adults hoping for something more in their lives. In the case of the late John Singleton's Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shukar, it focuses on a young hairdresser who goes on a road trip from South Central Los Angeles to Oakland with her friend and a mail truck driver. Although the film wasn't the movie wasn't the biggest hit with critics back in its original 1993 release, it has garnished enough cultural status to be admired as a romantically enduring drama within the coming of age genre.
The main storyline follows a young woman named Justice who works as a hairdresser in South Central LA following the murder of her former boyfriend Markell. Her only way to cope with such a horrific tragedy is through beautiful poetry, which is one of the biggest plot notes throughout the movie. Every now and then, we'll hear Jackson narrating one of Justice's poems that is in lieu of a specific scene or emotion. It all highlights the growth of Justice as the film goes on, especially when she pursues a convention in Oakland, albeit via transportation in a mail truck driven by a narrow minded postal worker named Lucky. During this road trip, her friend Iesha and her rough boyfriend Chicago get into constant back and forth love related arguments and fights, which causes some necessary tension between the two leads. In a way, Poetic Justice is a laid back road picture disguised as a journey of self discovery, solely in how Justice and Lucky grow into trusting each other overtime. By taking its time to get to the destination, it allows the viewers to relate to its characters sincerely.
Perhaps the best moments throughout the film are where the characters connect as a family, especially since none of them have any of their own. Whether it'd be with their close minded co-workers or a ginormous African-American family reunion that they're not even related to, Justice, Lucky, Iesha and Chicago will have learned about one another through thick and thin in spite of their vast differences. Unfortunately for every laugh they share, there will be drama and bloodshed, such is the case when trivial molehills are blown up into mountains. Jackson and Shakur have excellent chemistry with one another, with a lot of their scenes emphasizing their insecurities with trust and care for other people. Even when their scenes jumble back and forth with whatever petty drama Regina King and Joe Torry get themselves into as Iesha and Chicago, they still serve as healthy reminders to really understand someone before you judge them blindly. As far as the romance angle goes in this quiet gentle flick, there's a lot to take away from the two leads, no matter how violent some scenes may get.
In addition, the poetry within the film was composed by poetic icon Maya Angelou, who even appears in the roadside family reunion sequence. With a literary legend like Angelou creating the work of Justice, one can only imagine how much of a voice the filmmakers leant in bringing such beautiful work from the heart to the big screen. Not to mention, the Oscar nominated musical number Again, performed by Jackson herself, perfectly encapsulates the themes explored in the feature, including trying to move on, coping with a wound, and trusting new people. Unlike most of the other songs featured in the film outside of Lucky's own rap work, this number has a lot to do with the message this film has been doing its best to share to the world ever since its release. Perhaps it might not be the film's best strength in sound as much as Stanley Clarke's soothing score, which feels as melodious as it does heart wrenching. Proving how much the contributions from different artists means to one motion picture event, Singleton, Jackson and the crew knew how to bring justice to the world of cinema.
While maybe not being quite as disciplined as it could have been, Poetic Justice stands as a beautifully gentle road film that works in showcasing the benefits of discovering yourself and someone else outside of your own mindset. In a day and age where people are losing their grip on others based on delusions of paranoia and world news, flicks like these are worth the price of admission. If you're a fan of John Singleton's work or want to see a landmark in poetic self discovery, then give this one a go. It will move you, it will hurt you, it may even shock you, but it will cease to bore you.
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