I've Got A Love Jones

"I love you. That's urgent like a muthafucka." 

- Darius Lovehall 

Forewarning: Spoiler Alert!

Ok, so boom. Picture this: It's a brisk February evening in Chicago. We'll say it's Friday, because Fridays are sexy. Right? Right. So it's Friday and you're on your way to The Sanctuary, a cool ass, sensual jazz and poetry joint on the North Side. It's been a long week and you need another drink, so you make your way to the bar. As you're describing to the bartender what you'd like, a man reciting his original poem, Brother to the Night (A Blues for Nina), stops you dead in your tracks. Have you caught on to what movie I'm describing? For those of you who haven't, it's Love Jones (isn't my title creative?). 

To put it frankly, Love Jones is my jam. Never have I felt more justified in being a hopeless romantic than when I watched Love Jones for the first time, which, I'm embarrassed to say, was August 13, 2017. Don't judge me. And before you start in the comments section about how this review is years too late, I want you to know that 1. I don't care, and 2. this is post numero uno of an installment I'd like to call, "Throwback Thursday." Again, I'm so creative, I know.

At the risk of sounding extremely corny, this film is like a rich piece of dark chocolate that when left on the tongue melts down sweet with a slight bitterness. The same bitterness that can only be compared to the pain that some people like paired with their pleasure. Love Jones is that good. Don't be turned off by my mention of bitterness. This is just my way of conveying to you that Love Jones isn't your stereotypical, bubble-gum love story. Is there a happy ending? Yes. Is it one that was achieved easily, or even one that you're used to? No. It's a real ending that had real thought put into it. But before we get to the ending, let's start at the beginning.

Love Jones, written and directed by Theodore Witcher, is a romantic comedy set in Chicago in 1997. It stars Larenz Tate (Darius Lovehall), Nia Long (Nina Mosley), Isaiah Washington (Savon Garrison), Bill Bellamy (Hollywood) and Lisa Nicole Carson (Josie Nichols). The main characters in the film are Nina and Darius. Nina is a struggling photographer and Darius is a poet and a writer. Both of them seem to have the same outlook on love - what's love got to do with it?  That is, until a chance meeting at The Sanctuary. It is at The Sanctuary that after briefly meeting Nina at the bar, Darius makes an impromptu change to his poem, originally titled, Brother to the Night. In an attempt to impress Nina, Darius changes the title to A Blues for Nina and proceeds to recite it in front of everyone. Nina notices his attempt at wooing her, but tries her hardest to appear unfazed and unbothered. It's not until running into Nina again that Darius asks her out. She initially turns him down, but after Darius makes an unannounced and unwarranted trip to her place she says yes to his advances. From here, their romance is off and running.

Problems begin to arise when Nina's ex-fiance, Marvin (Khalil Kain), shows up and offers her a train ticket to live with him in New York. Being that she is fresh out of this relationship, she decides she owes it to herself and to Darius to explore her feelings and find out if she still loves Marvin. Darius, being the cool cat that he is, takes the news of Nina going to New York in stride and blows it off as if it doesn't bother him, although under the surface it really does. Both Nina and Darius tell their friends that what is going on between them isn't a "love thing" and that they're just "kicking it" (insert eye roll here). As you can probably guess, Nina and Darius are falling in love with each other, but both are too prideful and scared to admit it.

Needless to say, Nina's rekindled relationship with Marvin ends almost as quickly as it begins and she is soon on her way back to Chicago. Upon arriving in the Windy City, she discovers that Darius has started what she thinks is a relationship with another woman. Disappointed and heartbroken, Nina goes on with her life and begins casually dating Hollywood (Bill Bellamy) who is a member of Darius' inner circle. Nina sees this relationship as harmless, but Darius views it very differently. The games that they play with each other create feelings of jealousy and trust-issues, which creates the driving conflict of Love Jones. Nina and Darius eventually get it together, but not without some bumps in the road.

The ending leaves viewers with a sense of uncertainty, but not disappointment. Darius eventually tells Nina that he loves her and wants to be with her despite the fact that she has recently gotten a job in New York and he lives in Chicago. Instead of discussing the logistics of how their long-distance relationship will work, they share a kiss in the rain outside of The Sanctuary where they initially met. My heart melted. 

Love Jones is a timeless classic that, although written in the 90s, holds valuable lessons for today's millennials. The biggest and most important takeaway from Love Jones is that there is no place for pride in love. All pride does is make things more difficult than they need to be. If you love that guy/girl, do yourself a favor and be honest with him/her, and also yourself. You'll be happy you did. 

Also, go ahead and download the Love Jones soundtrack. It's a vibe all it's own.

(Photos courtesy of The News & Observer and Vixen Varsity)