Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Dana Notmyrealname It could have been a good film, but it almost seems as though those involved were too close to it to see how it fails to draw any kind of an emotional response or much sympathy for the main character until much later in the story. The pace is slow, nothing was all that funny to me, cartoonish devices were used inconsistently and unnecessarily, which made the first half feel disjointed, as though different sections were directed by different people. Actions that moved the plot forward were so subtle as to be easily missed. One of my least favorite devices is to show a progression of time with a montage and music playing over the voices.Some scenes left me wondering 'why did they do that?' as there was no obvious metaphor (or perhaps it was so obvious as to be insulting) and no further reference given to, for instance, a worn costume. Once some of the relationships were established, the movie picks up momentum, and the ending rather saves it.I'm sure it's very difficult to portray the complex themes from the book, which makes it such rich reading. Action flicks are much easier. Much had to change for a movie to be created out of it. But a good director knows how to accomplish this without confusing, boring, or trying the patience of his audience. Perhaps Mr. Taylor should stick to music unless he wants all his work to go straight to DVD or the Hallmark channel. Sure, compared to other "Christian" movies this one rises above, but shouldn't we hold all movies to a critical standard, regardless of the company that made it?

vcastilino The movie Blue Like Jazz follows the path of discovery of Donald Miller a youngster who tries to escape his Christian upbringing by enrolling himself into a 'liberal' college only to go through the whole process of denying what he was told to believe in all his life. All along one sees him struggling to be somebody he is not... like a dog trying to shake off its own tail!What I liked about the movie was that Don was open to all that he came across. He really did not make a decision about something just because he felt so... he looked for convictions... Another aspect of the movie that I found quite interesting to observe was the influence and role of friends. The impact they had on Don and the things he does in their life... (Penny, Lauryn, Russian, him mom, 'Pope'). And finally I hope Don continues to carry on as 'Pope' for I sincerely believe he'd do a better and greater job being Pope than going out gun-blazing saying that he believes in God and all that goes with it. He truly would be a great help to all those fellow students to help them in their situation than taking a pedestal posture or stance and helping 'from above'!It quite well summarizes the journey of self-discovery, of finding out the value and meaning of real faith... not just 'inheriting faith' but 'earning' it and thereby living it! That I think makes a huge ... huge... difference in reality. Most of us barely manage to graduate to the latter stage of faith. http://www.vcastilino.blogspot.in/

TxMike This is a curious movie, not "Christian" in the usual cinema sense, but it features a character who was raised as a devout Christian then has all his beliefs challenged when he goes to college in about the most hedonistic place possible.In a "making of" extra on the DVD, the director is talking to cast members and extras and explains, a story of ordinary people in usual situations just doesn't make a very interesting movie. So in this movie the lead character, Don, must come from the most conservative Christian background possible, and he must go to college in the most liberal situation possible, to be able to draw out the contrast. It is a concept most us us realize intuitively, but is rarely stated so clearly by filmmakers.So here we have Marshall Allman as Donald Miller , a young Christian man in Houston, your typical very conservative Southern Baptist. He aspires to be a writer, so his not-so-conservative dad arranges for him to enroll in a college in Oregon known for its writing program. He arrives and finds a world that he never even imagined existed. Of course what we see is impossible to find on any college campus, but as was explained this draws the contrasts that results in Don rethinking everything he thought he knew.The movie is loosely based on the real life of author Donald Miller, who really was from Houston, and really did wander up to Oregon. But he was not a college student there, so the main of the story was simply created to make the movie.I can't say I would recommend this movie to anyone, I enjoyed seeing it for its quirkiness, but all in all it isn't an outstanding movie.

jbmister46 Blue Like Jazz follows the same formula used by John Moyer in his movies about Mormonism. The questioning believer is critical of his faith but eventually finds meaning in joining a church, usually through his interest in a desirable female believer. See John Moyer's the Returned Missionary. It's basically the same story. In this case, non-believers are depicted by the residents of a secular college as being raucous, injured and without direction. Christians are shown as tolerant, generous and kind. Non-believer's lives are mired in self-absorption, while the Christian character is generously giving her time to traveling to a troubled third world community. What she actually accomplishes there is not revealed. The viewer is left to wonder whether she is giving any substantial relief or is there to proselytize. While the supposed virtues of a Christian life is alluded to, the film never tackles the difficult challenges about historical accuracy and factual evidence put forth by its critics. It simply asserts that non-believers and Christian critics live empty non-fulfilling lives, and Christian's lives are wholesome, peaceful and fulfilling. This is illustrated when the main character comes to his senses, recommits to his religion, and most importantly, gets the girl. The female prize is no ordinary female, but a high quality, highly desirable, attractive, intelligent, caring, wise, and endlessly forgiving white Anglo-Saxon female. This is exactly the prize bait used by Moyer in his movies about the Mormon religion; that is until John Moyer renounced his membership and gave up the religion.