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Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Keb' Mo', Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton ... see more see more... , Vondie Curtis-Hall , Kel Mitchell , Gary Clark Jr , Dr. Mable John , Stacy Keach , Darryl Edwards , Albert Hall , Brent Jennings , Davenia McFadden , Ruben Santiago-Hudson , Mary Steenburgen , Sean Patrick Thomas , Arthur Lee Williams , Eric Abrams , Eddie Shaw , Tom Wright

Tyrone (Danny Glover) is the proprietor of the Honeydripper juke joint. When business at the once-popular club begins to trail off and Tyrone hires unpredictable electric guitarist Sonny (Gary Clark J... read more read more...r.) against his better judgment, Tyrone's last-ditch bid to draw in crowds during harvest time has surprising results that neither desperate Tyrone nor the ambitious Sonny could have ever anticipated. Blues guitarist Keb' Mo' co-stars in the film, which was written and directed by John Sayles. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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58% liked it

1,697 ratings

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67% liked it

85 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: John Sayles

Release Date: December 28, 2007

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DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (208)

  • gator681
    January 1, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Honeydripper" starts on a Saturday night in Harmony, Alabama in 1950 and the Honeydripper Lounge is certainly not jumping. Its proprietor, Tyrone(Danny Glover), even sends his star performer, Bertha Mae(Mable John), home. Tyrone is married to Delilah(Lisa ... read moreGay Hamilton) who supports him despite her attending revival meetings. She hopes to save up enough money to send her daughter, China Doll(Yaya DaCosta), to beauty school, so she can make a better life for herself. But Tyrone cannot afford to even buy alcohol and he is behind on the bar's rent, forced to eviction unless he can come up with the money quickly. He hopes that the popular Guitar Sam coming to play will turn his fortunes around. Meanwhile, a young guitarist(Gary Clark Jr.) gets off the northbound train...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, "Honeydripper" is a partial return to form for the great director with another slice of Americana, where music is only part of the story. Racism is at the heart, but not in any melodramatic fashion, more in an everday fashion. As somebody else said, these people would not lead such awful lives if they did not have to. So, they need a place somewhere on Saturday night to forget their troubles, be it a bar or a revival meeting with promises of a world better than this one. The crossroads is both a literal and a metaphorical place, for music where blues are about to turn into rock and roll and also where the modern civil rights movement is about to start up. [/font]
  • Dracula787
    July 27, 2008
    Dracula787
    John Sayles is an odd filmmaker in that his work seems oddly isolated from everything else Hollywood puts out. He?s almost a textbook example of what an auteur is, in that one can guess he directed a film simply by watching a single scene, but pinpointing why his work is recogniz... read moreable is not always as easy as it is with other filmmakers. There?s something in the dialogue, the way the actors behave, and the ambitious aim of his uniquely American stories that positively define his work behind the camera. His newest film, Honeydripper, was mostly ignored in theaters and I had hoped that it would be an underappreciated gem; unfortunately it?s minor Sayles at best.

    The film is set in a fictional Alabama town of Harmony during the very early 1950s. The film specifically focuses on Harmony?s black community, particularly a tavern/dance hall called the Honeydripper. The venue is owned by Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover), but it has fallen on hard times. Purvis is in danger of losing the place to a loan shark, so he and his friend Maceo (Charles S. Dutton) plan a last ditch effort to stay in business by bringing in a famous blues musician named Guitar Sam to play a big gig that would generate enough money to pay Purvis? rent. Purvis has recently drifted away from his wife Delilah (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and is also being threatened by the town?s racist sheriff (Stacy Keach). Meanwhile a young man named Sonny (Gary Clark Jr.) has arrived in town carrying a guitar case and interested in auditioning at the local music scene to make ends meet. Purvis can?t really afford the show he plans to put on and it becomes clear that the evening?s entertainment will be a make or break night for him and the Honeydripper.

    There was a lot less music in the film then I had expected, the story clearly deals with people who have music as a major part of their life, but the soundtrack is not loaded with period music. There is a great performance scene toward the end which features the use of a very early electric guitar, the music played is a primitive and toe tapping form of rock and roll.

    The movie?s main problem is mainly that it has a lot of southern clichés. Among the types to be found here: a redneck sheriff, an eager young man gone to town to make something of his music career, a white southern housewife oblivious to the rest of the world, and a blind old coot who plays guitar on main street stoops. Occasionally Sayles will do some unexpected things with these types, for instance that Sheriff proves to ultimately be more interested in getting free chicken than oppressing people just for the fun of it, there?s also a neat twist with the blind old coot.

    Danny Glover is probably the best thing about the film, he?s got just the right ability to seem like a nice and likable guy, but still having a certain gruffness to his character. It?s clear that Glover?s character has seen a lot over the course of his career as a bar owner and blues enthusiast. He?s a character that clearly has a past and the audience easily gets the gist of it without the movie explicitly showing or describing much of it.

    In final analysis, Honeydripper is just a very average and fairly forgettable film. It has a neat atmosphere, the story works well enough, but it?s just a very small trifle of a film. Had I seen it in theaters I would have felt vaguely ripped off, and I?m not sure I?d even recommend it as a DVD rental. But, if you see it on cable or something like that I do think it?s worth giving a shot.
  • monkeybobbob
    June 9, 2008
    monkeybobbob
    Decent drama about the birth of rock n' roll in 1950's Alabama.Tyrone Pervis' bar,The Honeydripper,is on the verge of being brought out unless he can come up with enough money and keep the place busy like it used to be.When Tyrone books a popular local guitarist to play and he fa... read moreils to show up it seems Tyrone will no longer have his bar,but when a young drifter comes to the bar claiming he can play guitar and sing,Tyrone comes up with an idea that might just save his job and the Honeydripper and also help change music forever.A great performance by Danny Glover as Tyrone Pervis and a good script.This does seem a tad overlong at times but its a good story with an uplifting ending about the birth of some truly amazing music.
  • keith222
    January 23, 2008
    keith222
    John Sayles doing what he does best. Just a simple story about simple people. What you see is what you get, there are no surprises in this one.
  • NobleKnight
    April 20, 2010
    NobleKnight
    It's got a good story in it, but it lacks a bit of structure. It has so much spirit in the music of Alabama 1950.
    Danny Glover gives us a decent performance to move the story along, and works very well with Charles S. Dutton.
    I felt they could have come to a solution a bit sooner... read more, and felt it had dragged in a couple of bits.
    Over all, I did enjoy the music.
  • EreborTabor
    July 1, 2008
    EreborTabor
    This film has amazing acting and musicianship, not to mention the cool part played by award-winning blues musician Keb' Mo'. The cast is a wonderful ensemble, each member contributing a great deal to the work of art. The soundtrack is something for the ages as well.
  • rasDavid55dan
    June 30, 2008
    rasDavid55dan
    I've long been a John Sayles fan going back to the Brother From Another Planet and the Return of the Secaucus 7. This one didnt disappoint me either. This film invoked the sense of Alabama in the 1950's. The music soundtrack evokes a certain feeling also. Strong acting performanc... read moree by Danny Glover,and the blues artist Keb' Mo plays a convincing street musician
  • telb6
    February 10, 2008
    telb6
    What can I say? John Sayles does it again. In Honeydripper, he proves that he can pretty much make a movie about practically anything, and it be successful. The film takes place in 1950 Alabama, and believe me, it looks it. The film is highlighted by a fine, well-rounded cast, le... read mored by Danny Glover. Charles S. Dutton and Stacy Keach are among the supporting actors that make the film a success. Sayles script is also impressive, as well, proving that nobody can write and embody dialog quite like him.

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Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips
October 18, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

While this may not be the rowdiest birth-of-rock-'n'-roll film ever made -- it's very likely the least rowdy -- Sayles addresses a transitional moment in his own patient, precise way. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
March 7, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It survives on its versatile leads, its smoky cinematography (courtesy of Dick Pope) and its seductive musical performances, which run from gospel to jazz to blues to the to the electrifying kick-star... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
February 29, 2008
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Even more than the music in this musically rich picture, the great pleasure of Honeydripper is in watching Danny Glover as Tyrone Purvis, the club owner. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
February 21, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Trudging nobly under a mantle of impeccably earnest intentions and a fussy, too-quaint-by-half production design, Honeydripper lags and drags to its utterly predictable end. There's not a spark of spo... Full Review

Colin Covert
February 15, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A musical period piece that manages to be lighthearted and socially conscious. Full Review

Tom Long
February 8, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News

It's a solid history lesson that's less solid as a movie, simply because so much of the weight seems to be crammed into a too-fragile framework. As a film, Honeydripper is fine history put to less fin... Full Review

John Monaghan
February 8, 2008
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

It's best to forget the story here and focus on those small moments that shine in any Sayles film. Full Review

Philip Marchand
February 1, 2008
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star

Honeydripper, by veteran American director John Sayles, shows just how much life music can give to a movie. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
February 1, 2008
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

John Sayles is a natural storyteller and national treasure, dedicated to spinning narratives of America, state by state, into a vibrant quilt of 20th-century American history. Full Review

Rick Groen
February 1, 2008
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A contemplative fable, Honeydripper locates the moment but misses the heart-pounding, gut-wrenching explosion -- the history is there, the thrill isn't. Full Review

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