MOVIE REVIEW: Blue Like Jazz

Directed by Steve Taylor Writing credits (in alphabetical order) Donald Miller screenplay Donald Miller story Ben Pearson screenplay Steve Taylor screenplay Cast: Claire Holt ... Penny Tania Raymonde ... Lauryn Jason Marsden ... Kenny Marshall Allman ... Donald Miller Eric Lange ... The Hobo Justin Welborn ... The Pope Natalia Dyer ... Grace Becky Fly ... Professor Jeffrey Buckner Ford ... James Larkin Zephyr Benson ... Robot #2 Wendy Keeling ... Choir Lady Matt Godfrey ... Yuri Don's a Texas boy raised up in a typical Southern Baptist Church when his ne-do-well father who hadn't paid child support prior to this offered to put him through Reed College in Portland, OR rather than having him go to the Christian college he'd planned on attending. When Don realizes his Mom's getting it on with his church's very married Hispanic Youth Minister, he takes his Dad up on the offer. Not only does Don get tuition to Reed, but he also gets his Dad's collection of vintage jazz vinyl. We're talking Coltrane, baby. His Dad's trying to make a point--neither jazz nor religion actually resolve. Don's in for a whole new world at Reed. It's cool to question everything -- even Christianity. It's just not so cool that you are a Christian. Can Don's faith survive the new environment? Does jazz actually resolve? Does the film answer the questions? This is an excellent art film with a good deal of thought behind it. What the real answers are may well depend on what you bring to the film, but it's well worth viewing if you enjoy seeing solid character transformations. Rebecca Kyle, May 2012