Honeydripper (2007)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Danny Glover, LisaGay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Glover	...	Tyrone Purvis
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Delilah
Yaya DaCosta	...	China Doll
Charles S. Dutton	...	Maceo
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Slick
Gary Clark Jr.	...	Sonny
Mable John	...	Bertha Mae
Stacy Keach	...	Sheriff Pugh
Nagee Clay	...	Scratch
Absalom Adams	...	Lonnie
Arthur Lee Williams	...	Metalmouth Sims
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Stokely
Davenia McFadden	...	Nadine
Daryl Edwards	...	Shack Thomas
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Dex

Storyline

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 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 way. His plan to hire a guitar legend go awry and Tyrone is forced to take drastic action in a final scheme to save the club.

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Plot Keywords:

alabama | 1950s | jim crow | written and directed by cast member | scene before opening credits | 

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Taglines:

This better be some Saturday night!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Music | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief violence and some suggestive material

Did You Know?

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.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Bucket List/The Orphanage/The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep/There Will Be Blood/Honeydripper/Persepolis (2008)

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Soundtracks

Chasin' the Caboose
Written by Billy Novick & Mason Daring
Published by Daring Music
Administered by Universal Music Inc. (ASCAP)
Performed by The Aces of Spade

User Reviews

Great music, reasonable story.

Set in 1950s Alabama around the time of the birth of rock 'n' roll, focusing on a music venue and its manager. The backdrop is the racist America South.

At the heart of the story lies the proprietor, Tyrone, of the Honeydripper Lounge. He is in debt and needs to raise money fast. He plans to put on a gig with a brilliant black guitarist. Behind his battle to run a successful club lies the conflict between religion and rock 'n' roll, God and the devil, with a convenient compromise by the end of the film.

Predictable at times with some obvious set pieces but a fun film with great music.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Honeydripper

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,863, 30 December 2007

Gross USA:

$267,880

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$544,925

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anarchist's Convention Films, Honeydripper Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1