Poetic Justice

Cause nobody but nobody can make it out here alone

POETIC JUSTICE (15)

D: John Singleton

Columbia Tristar (Steve Nicolaides & John Singleton)

US 1993

109 mins

Drama/Romance

W: John Singleton

DP: Peter Lyons Collister

Ed: Bruce Cannon

Mus: Stanley Clarke

Janet Jackson (Justice), Tupac Shakur (Lucky), Regina King (Iesha), Joe Torry (Chicago), Tyra Ferrell (Jessie), Roger Guenveur Smith (Heywood), Maya Angelou (Aunt June), Billy Zane (Brad), Lori Petty (Penelope)

Janet Jackson's big screen debut sees her play Justice, a South Central hairdresser who copes with depression following the death of her boyfriend by writing poetry, but learns to love again when she accompanies a bad boy from the 'hood on a road trip.

John Singleton's "urban romance" is an incredibly disappointing follow up to 1991's Boyz N The Hood (qv), merely serving as a vehicle to pair the pop singer with rap artist Tupac Shakur, despite the fact that there's little chemistry to be seen between their characters.

The appreciation of Janet's acting depends wholly on what side of the tracks you're on. She won an MTV movie award for Best Female Performance but was also nominated for a Razzie for Worst Actress, as well as an Oscar. Although the latter was a nomination for Best Original Song for the love theme "Again", which is actually a beautifully-penned ballad that could have easily found itself in a much better movie.

4/10