When this first came out, I wrote it off as Samuel L. cashing another check, and a blaxploitation film for a new generation. I was soooo wrong. I loved every bit of it. Samuel L. was great, but Ricci was even better. Easily her best performance to date. A preposterous scenario that somehow works and works well. The music was equally good, made even better by the fact that Samuel L. did the playing and singing himself. And shock of all shocks, Justin Timberlake is a decent actor. I’ve got strong man-love for JT, but even I doubted his acting ability. I know, for shame!

In the end it’s a movie about spirituality, and a love story between two fucked up people who need each other. It doesn’t hit you over the head with the spirituality though. It’s there, but not in your face.

I’ve never seen Hustle and Flow either btw. Worth checking out? It’s another one I just wrote off.