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Honeydripper

  • 2007
  • PG-13
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, and LisaGay Hamilton in Honeydripper (2007)
Theatrical Trailer from Screen Media Films
Play trailer1:28
1 Video
83 Photos
CrimeDramaHistoryMusicMusical

1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It's a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone "Pine Top" Purvis. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicke... Read all1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It's a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone "Pine Top" Purvis. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man, and the landlord, Tyrone is desperate to lure the young cotton pickers and local Ar... Read all1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It's a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone "Pine Top" Purvis. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man, and the landlord, Tyrone is desperate to lure the young cotton pickers and local Army base recruits into his juke joint, away from Touissant's, the rival joint across the wa... Read all

  • Director
    • John Sayles
  • Writer
    • John Sayles
  • Stars
    • Danny Glover
    • LisaGay Hamilton
    • Yaya DaCosta
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Sayles
    • Writer
      • John Sayles
    • Stars
      • Danny Glover
      • LisaGay Hamilton
      • Yaya DaCosta
    • 31User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Honeydripper
    Trailer 1:28
    Honeydripper

    Photos83

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    Top cast42

    Edit
    Danny Glover
    Danny Glover
    • Tyrone Purvis
    LisaGay Hamilton
    LisaGay Hamilton
    • Delilah
    Yaya DaCosta
    Yaya DaCosta
    • China Doll
    Charles S. Dutton
    Charles S. Dutton
    • Maceo
    Vondie Curtis-Hall
    Vondie Curtis-Hall
    • Slick
    Gary Clark Jr.
    Gary Clark Jr.
    • Sonny
    Mable John
    Mable John
    • Bertha Mae
    Stacy Keach
    Stacy Keach
    • Sheriff Pugh
    Nagee Clay
    Nagee Clay
    • Scratch
    Absalom Adams
    • Lonnie
    Arthur Lee Williams
    • Metalmouth Sims
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    • Stokely
    Davenia McFadden
    • Nadine
    Daryl Edwards
    Daryl Edwards
    • Shack Thomas
    Sean Patrick Thomas
    Sean Patrick Thomas
    • Dex
    Eric L. Abrams
    • Ham
    Kel Mitchell
    Kel Mitchell
    • Junebug
    Keb' Mo'
    Keb' Mo'
    • Possum
    • Director
      • John Sayles
    • Writer
      • John Sayles
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    6.72.2K
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    Featured reviews

    9along-23

    sweet musical trip down south

    OK, let me say right off the bat I am a little biased. This film was shot here in Alabama, and most of it was filmed right here in my home county of Butler. One of my high school classmate's son is featured throughout the movie as "Lonnie" and other folks I know served as extras or performed as part of the choir.

    And I loved seeing the people and places I know up on the big screen. I think Maggie and John are "da bomb." The woman is a hugger; I love that warmth. John's the most down-to-earth guy.

    That being said, I can also honestly report to you "Honeydripper" is a good movie - not perfect, but very much worth seeing. I think Danny Glover is sensational in the lead role as Pine Top and he and Charles Dutton are totally believable as two old pals fighting the odds to save Pine Top's blues club. Keb' Mo' is delightful as the "Greek Chorus" known as Possum, a mysterious and witty blind guitarist.

    If you love blues music and early rock 'n' roll; if you enjoy a story that takes its time, one filled with complex characters and some memorable lines penned by Sayles - a movie made with love and lots of heart - then "Honeydripper" just might be for you.
    10Ssgoldfine-1

    Honeydripper

    Saw the movie, Honeydripper, with Danny Glover at the Palm Springs Film Festival today and it was wonderful Music was delightful and great characters, great photography, and I predict a big hit in 2008. It has been an audience favorite and probably be in the Best of Fest next Monday. Glover is outstanding; may be a little long, but every person in the film is well characterized. As a movie reviewer, I have given it FIVE STARS. I would like to know when it goes into general release so I can tell people all over the country. The blues music, rock n roll blends together. I recommend it highly. If this film came out in 2007 it would easily be in my top ten films of the year.
    9lee_eisenberg

    pivot between eras

    John Sayles, never one to avoid a political focus in movies, now brings us "Honeydripper". The movie is set in 1950 Alabama. The Jim Crow laws are still in effect, and black-white relations are limited to African-Americans performing only the most menial jobs: a number of people work in a cotton field for practically nothing (slavery has risen again!). Tyrone "Pinetop" Purvis (Danny Glover) owns a restaurant and often has singers come and play. Business hasn't been doing too well recently. Pinetop has worked hard his whole life and barely gotten by...but the possible arrival of a New Orleans singer might change things.

    Aside from the great music, one can also see this movie as a look at the pivot era in the South. It's set during the Jim Crow era, around the start of the Korean War, just a few years away from the civil rights movement. One notices that even though this is still the age of institutionalized racism, many of the characters do what they can to try and have civil relationships with white people: Sheriff Pugh (Stacy Keach) is on pretty good terms with Pinetop, and Pinetop's wife Delilah (Lisa Gay Hamilton) manages to carry on a conversation with her employer (Mary Steenburgen). The music, of course, is really the best part. I certainly recommend this movie, as I have recommended every John Sayles movie that I've seen.

    Also starring Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis Hall, Keb' Mo', Kel Mitchell and Gary Clark Jr. I think that I saw John Sayles in a bit part.
    10Seamus2829

    John Sayles On (Again)

    John Sayles has done it again. He has taken a world class cast (including Danny Glover),some crisp photography,a very well written & directed script & a music score to die for, and has made screen magic. The story concerns an embittered juke joint owner (Glover),an ex musician himself,trying to make ends meet with a club on the outs,who is trying one last move to avoid closure by hiring a well known musician named Guitar Sam,to try & fill his club. Add a few other elements (a wife who is serious about re-connecting with her faith,a corrupt sheriff,and other elements),and the formula for a successful story is all set. The story is set in the racial segregated South of 1950. Although the film was shot in 2007, it is now just getting some scattered distribution. This film deserves far better than it's getting. The music score (composed and/or arranged by Sayles' favourite composer,Mason Daring)is a out & out toe tapper (which includes Delta Blues,Stride Piano,Gospel,Rhythm & Blues--years before it would be coined 'Rock & Roll' by Alan Freed). Honestly, Honeydripper (the name of the juke joint coined by the films title) is one for anyone who is interested in early creative black music(s).
    7lastliberal

    Singing is one thing, Slick. Whether people want to look at you while you're doing it is another.

    Good movie to watch on the anniversary of our involvement in Korea, and a new base opens down the road to prepare troops to be sent to the war that will apparently never end. But, this movie is worth watching for the music alone. If you like blues and early rock and roll, this is the film for you.

    But, it isn't just about music. It is also about relations between Black and White in the 1950s South. There are some powerful performances by some powerful actors like Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, and Stacy Keach; and interesting new faces like Yaya DaCosta (Take the Lead).

    A good story with an great backdrop. Maybe just a little long.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the scenes in which Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover) is playing the piano, the close-ups of his hands were performed by Henderson Huggins, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based pianist and piano tuner. Huggins, who has been blind since childhood due to glaucoma, got the job when the movie's director and producer team of John Sayles and Maggie Renzi received a tape of Huggins from the Alabama Blues Project, a Tuscaloosa organization dedicated to musical education and the preservation of the history of Alabama Blues.
    • Goofs
      Though set in 1950 the one dollar bills paid to get into the show by patrons are not silver certificates but rather current currency.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Bucket List/The Orphanage/The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep/There Will Be Blood/Honeydripper/Persepolis (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Honeydripper
      Written by Billy Novick & Mason Daring

      Published by Daring Music

      Administered by Universal Music Inc. (ASCAP)

      Performed by The Aces of Spade

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    FAQ22

    • How long is Honeydripper?Powered by Alexa
    • Is "Honeydripper" based on a book?
    • Who or what is a "honeydripper"?
    • Who was Tyrone talking to at the end of the movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 9, 2008 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Бар 'Медонос'
    • Filming locations
      • Greenville, Alabama, USA
    • Production companies
      • Anarchist's Convention Films
      • Honeydripper Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $267,880
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,863
      • Dec 30, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $544,925
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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