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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Honeydripper - Do Blues ao Rock

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,856, 30 December 2007

Gross USA:

$267,880

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

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

Danny Glover is wearing invisible teeth braces throughout.

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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

Going Down Slow
Written by James B. Oden
Published by Arc Music Corp. (BMI) and Songs of Universal, Inc. (BMI)
Performed by Danny Glover

User Reviews

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).