Love Jones (1997) – Movie Review

Movie Review • “You mind if I play something for you?” Love Jones in my opinion has some of the best movie quotes. This month will make it 25 years since we were introduced to Darius Lovehall and Nina Mosley. One of the greatest love, not just black love, but love stories of all time. 

Love Jones showed us what a real love story looks like in reality. It wasn’t the fairytale where everything is perfect and the couple falls in love and gets married at the end. It gave us an example of how a lot of love stories come about. The beginning of the relationship is one of the highest points, you’re crazy about each other and then life happens. That’s the point in the relationship where you find out if the love is real or if it was just a temporary high. 

Darius made stalking look attractive when he showed up on Nina’s doorstep with that Isley cd. His persistence is what literally got him in the door. Even though Nina didn’t consider their first date an actual date, I thought it was nice. Wine, good conversation and some good music will always give you points with me. Only thing he needed was a good meal and it would have been perfect. Although Nina and Darius considered what they had in the beginning as “just kicking it”, you could tell they both felt that love jones after the first night. 

A character people don’t talk about enough is Nina’s bestfriend Josie (Lisa Nicole Carson). She’s the bff that every girl needs. She was supportive but would also call you out on your sh*t. The taxi scene after Darius & Nina’s first night together is top 3 from the movie. “I can’t believe you f*cked him on the first date. Ho!..slut puppy!” Every woman has had that conversation with their bestfriend, and if you haven’t you need new friends. 

Love Jones will have you ready to hit up a poetry night hoping someone will hop onstage & hit you with that “and right now I’m the blues in your left thigh…trying to become the funk in your right. Is that all right?” The way Larenz Tate embodied Darius, you’d think he really was a Black Renaissance Man. Larenz & Nia’s chemistry in this movie is iconic. When you watched them, it didn’t feel like you were watching a movie, it felt like you were watching two people actually fall in love. 

I love how the director showed Chicago in a positive light. From The Wild Hare, The Chicago Step Show & The Sanctuary, I felt like I was getting a tour of what Chicago has to offer. Love Jones will forever be in my top 2 favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack was perfect, the casting was perfect and there still hasn’t been another black romance movie that has been able to touch it. CLASSIC!