As one of the greatest, most real, blackest romance films, Love Jones turns 25 today (March 14), not only are we remembering love, but also celebrating it. We celebrate this nuanced and powerful emotion in all its complexity from hopeful to crazy to slow-burning and the endless possibilities for romance.
The 1997 romantic dramedy stars an ensemble cast featuring Nia Long, Larenz Tate, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Nicole Carson, Bill Bellamy, Leonard Roberts, Bernadette L. Clarke, and Khalil Kain. The feature film debut from Chicago-bred writer/director Theodore Witcher was his grand opening and closing all at once as more than two decades later the masterpiece remains his sole feature-length directorial credit.
Love Jones follows Gordon Parks-influenced photographer Nina Mosley as she cautiously embarks on a journey of singledom when she meets Darius Lovehall, a charming, buoyant writer at a Chicago nightclub. The two unexpectedly albeit reluctantly—especially on Nina’s part—start a romance where, with the “help” of their friends’ varying advice and interference, the two explore the depths of “just kickin’ it” versus choosing (or accepting?) something more serious.
The warm-hued film is accompanied by an enchanting soundtrack that showcases an eclectic mix of neo-soul, R&B, and jazz, including music from Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, Xscape, Groove Theory, Kenny Lattimore, Duke Ellington, and more.
Love Jones opens with Dionne Farris’ “Hopeless” as the backdrop to a black-and-white montage of life in inner-city Chicago, the scene ending with an image of a heartbroken and guarded Nina, who’s given up on love, looking out the window at the pouring rain. By the end of the film, she finally learns to embrace true love and has a renewed outlook on the feeling. And, what’s the ultimate sign of true Black love? When a sista is willing to get her freshly permed or pressed hair soaked in the rain for a romantic kiss under the moonlight.
As we reflect on Love Jones, we honor some of the lines, scenes, and songs that remind us of love’s urgency and that “it ain’t supposed to make sense—love, passion, it is what it is.”
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Brother To The Night
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images “And right now I’m the blues in your left thigh/Trying to become the funk in your right/Is that alright?” — Darius Lovehall
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The Sweetest Thing
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection “Romance is about the possibility of the thing. You see, it’s about the time between when you first meet some fine ass woman and you first make love to her. Or when you first ask a woman to marry you and when she says, ‘I do.’ When people who been together a long time say that the romance is gone—uh-uh—what they’re really sayin’ is they’ve exhausted the possibility.” — Darius Lovehall
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Sumthin' Sumthin'
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection “I can’t even describe it ’cause it was like, it was like his di*k just talked to me.”
— Nina Mosley -
Purple Rain
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images “Look, don’t make me start bringing more CDs up here ok, ’cause I’ll start bringing you Prince CDs. And you know how that brother like to pump out four-five albums a week. I mean, I’ll be up here every day.” — Darius Lovehall
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Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection “One truism in life my friend, when that jones come down, it be a mothaf*cker.”
— Savon Garrison -
Can't Get Enough
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Nina Mosley: “I just wanted to feel like I was saving something for later.”
Darius Lovehall: “Saving something for later? Baby, you ain’t gotta save mine for later. I rather have it right now anyway.”
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Good & Plenty
Image Credit: Courtesy of New Line Cinema/The Criterion Collection “Physics the sh*t ain’t. It ain’t supposed to make sense—love, passion, it is what it is.” —Eddie Coles
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You Move Me
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection Nina Mosley: “Sometimes I just wonder if I’m going too far with you.”
Darius Lovehall: “Look, there’s no such place. This is a destiny type thing babe.”
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In The Rain
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection “Leme tell you somethin’. This here, right now, at this very moment is all that matters to me. I love you. That’s urgent like a mothafu*ka’.” — Darius Lovehall
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In A Sentimental Mood
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images “I am beaming a light beam of love/I am remembering love.” — Nina Mosley