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).

Too much of a good thing is what comes out of this drama with music, making it a glimpse of a community with a lot of characters but nothing that really holds it together. A few key characters are surrounded by minor characters that interrupt the important stuff and distract the viewer from the meat of the story which is minimal. Its view of the struggles and the Injustices of a 1950's Alabama black Community was far too important to be told as slice of life, and this could have been an amazing historical document about that time.

It seems like just as you get to know one character, they are out of the story, and other characters are suddenly introduced that makes you wonder if and when they will get back to the ones whose stories have already been started. Danny Glover is the glue that holds the story together, and there's not even enough of him. Mable John, a real life blues singer, has a nice cameo, but most of the storyline surrounding her character occurs after she is found dead.

Lisa Gay Hamilton is a shining light, and Yaya DaCosta as her daughter is memorable to. Hamilton has a nice scene with Mary Steenburgen as her kindly employer, a white woman who obviously sees beyond skin color. There's also a guitar-playing blind man seems to be like the Greek chorus, providing a bit of wisdom to everyone who passes him by.

The film is gorgeous to look at with radiant colors and the music is glorious to listen to. But in wanting to listen to the stories of these people's hardships and the Injustice as they face, I only got little bits of that and that was a letdown. Director John Sayles obviously means well with what he is putting on screen here, showing the black workers still in the cotton fields 100 years after slavery, being paid a wage, but barely enough to survive. Glover as usual commands attention every time he is on screen, but unfortunately thanks to a weak script, I barely got to know anything about his character.

Picture 1950's Alabama at harvest time. Tyrone Purvis'(Danny Glover)former swinging little juke joint, The Honeydripper lounge, whistles a lonesome long-gone blues. Business is no business and he may be forced to shut 'er down. But wait, he may be able to save the Honeydripper with just one big ass rockin' Saturday night. He will hire the legendary Guitar Sam to be his champion. But any news is just more bad news...Guitar Sam can't make the gig for being in the hospital. So the story goes, Tyrone must quickly find another guitar-slinger to save face and his Honeydripper. A versatile cast featuring: Lisa Gay Hamilton, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mable John, Gary Clark Jr., Keb' Mo' and Stacy Keach. Volatile soundtrack featuring electrifying rockin' blues from the likes of: The Aces of Spades, Gary Clark Jr., Mable John, Keb' Mo', and even Hank Williams.