Love Jones (film)
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| Love Jones | |
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| Directed by | Theodore Witcher |
| Produced by | Michael Caldwell Julia Chasman Helena Echegoyen Amy Henkels |
| Written by | Theodore Witcher |
| Starring | Larenz Tate Nia Long |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | March 14, 1997 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,000,000 (approximately) |
| IMDb profile | |
Love Jones is a 1997 romantic drama film written and directed by Theodore Witcher. Larenz Tate and Nia Long portray young romantic upward-mobile African Americans navigating through Chicago's club culture.
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[edit] Synopsis
What do you do after love at first sight? That's the question posed in this romantic comedy-drama set in Chicago. Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) is a poet who is giving a reading at the Sanctuary, an upscale night club presenting jazz and poetry to a bohemian clientele. Shortly before his set, he meets Nina Mosley (Nia Long), a gifted photographer who has just lost her job. They exchange small talk, and Darius makes his interest clear when he retitles a love poem A Blues For Nina. A mutual attraction is sparked between them, and Darius invites himself back to her place to persistently ask her out. The relationship turns seriously sexy when they have sex on the first date, but neither Darius or Nina are sure where to go next after this promising start. She's just gotten out of a relationship and isn't sure if she still cares for her old boyfriend or not, while Darius' buddies read him the riot act for wanting to give up his freedom so early on in the game. Love Jones was the debut film for writer and director Theodore Witcher, and it is already considered a classic work in African-American cinema. Isaiah Washington, Bill Bellamy, and Lisa Nicole Carson lead the supporting cast.
[edit] Cast
- Larenz Tate — Darius Lovehall
- Nia Long — Nina Mosley
- Isaiah Washington — Savon Garrison
- Lisa Nicole Carson — Josie Nichols
- Bill Bellamy — Hollywood
- Leonard Roberts — Eddie Coles
- Bernadette L. Clarke — Sheila Downes
- Khalil Kain — Marvin Cox
- Cerall Duncan — Troy Garrison
- David Nisbet — Publisher
- Simon James — Roger Lievsey
- Oona Hart Model — Lievsey Studio
- Jaqueline Fleming — Lisa Martin
- Manao DeMuth — Nina's Assistant
- Marie-Françoise Theodore — Tracey Powell
[edit] Trivia
- The success of Love Jones is partially responsible for an increased interest in slam poetry and the spoken word art form as a whole in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, HBO began airing Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, hosted by actor/rapper Mos Def.
- Internationally renowned former bodybuilder Flex Wheeler counts Love Jones as one of his favorite films. He named his son Darius after Larenz Tate's character, and his daughter Nia after actress Nia Long (Muscle & Fitness magazine, September 2000).
[edit] See also
- Love Jones (soundtrack) — soundtrack to the film.
