Poetic Justice (1993)

In this movie, we see the world through the eyes of main character Justice (Janet Jackson), a young African-American poet. A mail carrier invites a few friends along for a long overnight delivery run.

Director:

John Singleton

Writer:

John Singleton

Stars:

Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Khandi Alexander	...	Simone
Maya Angelou	...	Aunt June
Ché J. Avery	...	Thug #2
Lloyd Avery II	...	Thug #1
Kimberly Brooks	...	Kim
Rico Bueno	...	Ticket Taker
Maia Campbell	...	Shante
Jeff Cantrel	...	Policeman #4
Michael Colyar	...	Panhandler
Kina Cosper	...	Female Cousin (as Kina V. Cosper)
John Cothran	...	Uncle Earl (as John Cothran Jr.)
Dina D.	...	Dina
Joe Dalu	...	Policeman #7
James Deeth	...	Helicopter Pilot
Norma Donaldson	...	Aunt May

Storyline

After witnessing the murder of her first and only boyfriend, young Justice (Janet Jackson) decides to forget about college and become a South Central Los Angeles, California hairdresser. Avoiding friends, the only way for her to cope with her depression is by composing beautiful poetry. On her way to a convention in Oakland, she is forced to ride with an independent-minded postal worker with whom she has not gotten along in the past. After various arguments between them and their friends, they start to discover that their thoughts on violence, socially and domestically, are the same. Justice may finally feel that she is not as alone as before.

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Plot Keywords:

african american | poetry | poet | ghetto | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language, and for violence and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to writer/producer/director John Singleton, when the 1992 Los Angeles riots occurred during filming, Tupac Shakur left the set to participate in the protest. He returned to the set in time for filming.

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Quotes

Lucky: [to Justice] Why are you mad all the time?

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Alternate Versions

In the Australian Free-to-Air vision. The Film had about 20mins cut out of it. Even though it was show at 11:50pm Jan 2001. Just about all swearing and fight sceens were taken out.

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Connections

Featured in The Movies: The Nineties (2019)

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Soundtracks

Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer
Written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta (as Syreeta Wright)
Performed by Stevie Wonder
Courtesy of Motown Record Company LP
By Arrangement with PolyGram Special Markets

User Reviews

Worth a look!

I read the other review and simply had to comment on it. This was a great movie. Perhaps not filled with action. But it takes the poetic point of view and happily surprises you. It's in my DVD - shelf at home. Janet is showing a great acting and so is Tupac. My boyfriend weren't that crazy about it, so I've come to realize that it take a special kind of person to want to see and understand the movie at it's fullest. Since i write poetry in my spare time maybe that explains my passion about this movie. In all, I think you should rent it if the review at the back cover tempt you, it's pretty much what you get.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poetic Justice

Filming Locations:

Simi Valley Drive-In, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,728,455, 25 July 1993

Gross USA:

$27,515,786

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,515,786

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, New Deal Productions, Nickel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1