The whole premise of the movie revolves around Leanne and her mother being perceived as 100% white, which they clearly are not. Apart from the light skin, their features were mostly black and it's hard to get past that. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. If you're an NBA fan, maybe they should have looked harder for someone who resembles Klay Thompson instead of settling for Stephen Curry.

And what was up with Bayou's baby looking Scandinavian lol? If anything, by his looks it is much more likely that Leanne's husband actually was the father. What made them so sure it was Bayou's? It was never mentioned that Leanne and her husband didn't have sex or something to that effect.

And finally, old Leanne being cast as a very white old lady who looked nothing like young Leanne, and who seemed even older than Hattie Mae, was the cherry on top... Also, a lot of things left unanswered, especially Leanne's rape. Why include that if it's never going to be mentioned again?

I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch another Tyler Perry film. Although I did enough some when I was a kid, as an adult I find that most of his films tend to be very sloppy, lackadaisical, predictable and uninspired leaving much to be desired. So when I saw the trailer for A Jazzman's Blues, I was curious because the quality alone was different than TP's past projects as of late.

The Pros:

1. The film had great cinematography. Much better than as I've said some of his past films as of late.

2. I enjoyed Bayou overall and Joshua Boone as an actor. He really carried the role well.

3. Most of the acting was better than his other films, which allows us to suspend our disbelief long enough to get immersed in the film.

4. The twist in the end was nice considering that again, TP can be very unpredictable. It wasn't so nice for the characters involved, but as a viewer I can appreciate it.

Cons:

The consistent problem with TP's films is his inability to write compelling characters that make us care about them. Most of that is due to his lack of backstory with his characters. Even with this passion project, he still missed the mark by not allowing us more of a glimpse into the characters' lives which helps to give us the most important answers to the questions we're looking for.

With that said, here's some questions which the movie didn't address:

1. Why was Leanne's grandfather mean and abusive? There's little to no explanation for his behavior including him sexually assaulting her. I wish his backstory would've been dealt with to help us make more sense of how he got there.

2. Why was Leanne left with her grandfather, other than her Mother heading north? Where is her father? Why wasn't he there? Why was her mother and her relationship strained?

3. Why was Leanne's mother so mean? There's no backstory for her so we don't know anything about her (just like her father) other than they're just mean to be mean and evil.

4. The situation with Bayou's father was very confusing. Was his dad really his dad? They seem to allude that he has a different father, yet the circumstances are not explored or explained and where his supposed biological father is.

5. Why did Bayou's brother hate him so much? If he was so superior and the favorite child of his father, why hate on Bayou? It seems that if anything, the roles would've been reversed.

Perhaps the BIGGEST letdown in the film is the lack of chemistry between Bayou and Leanne. Their relationship went from 0 to 60 so fast that we never got enough intimate moments between them that mattered. This is where backstory would've been extremely valuable and helpful. Their nights sneaking out and talking with each other could've been used to get inside of their minds. What was their childhood like? Where are Leanne's parents at that point in the film? What were they like? Did she get along with them? Why or why not? Where is Bayou's real father? Etc.

Overall, I think the acting is the saving grace in this movie. I'm not sure I would recommend the film, but I would say that if you're curious about Tyler Perry's growth as a director, it might be worth looking at. But don't expect a happy ending.

This is the crème de la crème of Tyler Perry's movies. His best work thus far. Very, very, well written. Heart pounding and heart wrenching at the same time. Thought provoking. The movie delved into the African American and the American experience. Don't want to give away to much. Amirah Vann, my favorite villainess from other shows (How to Get Away With Murder and Queen Sugar) is amazing. What a voice. Never knew she could sing like that. All the other actors were superb as well. The ensemble was perfect. The scenery, music and choreography fantastic This is a must see. This is a movie that you can watch over again.