Honeydripper

A quaint little film full of old-worldly charm, Honeydripper, with its languorous pace, is for those who love their stories to be told with a pace in which you read a novel in leisure. But the wait for Honeydripper is worth it to a great extent. ... Full Review

A quaint little film full of old-worldly charm, Honeydripper, with its languorous pace, is for those who love their stories to be told with a pace in which you read a novel in leisure. But the wait for Honeydripper is worth it to a great extent. ... Full Review

Like a rich and fading tapestry, the film successfully manages to create a lost world, a lost time. Hence, the importance of Danny Glover who tries to run a small pub, despite the hostile environs around him. ... Full Review

Honeydripper delivers fantastic songs and dialogue to match A hand-clapping, toe-tapping, thigh-slapping whirlwind of a movie, Honeydripper is laced with superb acting performances set to rabble-rousing rock'n'roll. ... Full Review

But as a story, Honeydripper is slower than a wounded mule, mostly due to the irrelevant secondary characters (Mary Steenburgen's brittle belle, blind bluesman Keb' Mo') that clutter up the sidelines. The joint takes a long time to start jumping in this beautifully directed but achingly ponderous drama about a struggling barkeep (Danny Glover) in '50s Alabama who tries to turn things around by hiring a blues legend to pack his establishment. ... Full Review

Honeydripper" is Sayles' paean to mid-20th century Alabama and the birth of rock 'n' roll, and while the story amiably meanders in classic Sayles style, the spark of musical invention keeps it firing. The actors are actually singing in their performances rather than lip-synching to re-recorded tracks, giving those scenes immediacy that is matched by Sayles' impeccable ear for local language. ... Full Review

Verdict: A warm, sweet-natured film, played by an ensemble cast totally into their parts and backed by some irresistible music. Indie maestro John Sayles has always loved to explore American subcultures and in this, his 16th film as writer/director, he turns his flashlight on popular music. ... Full Review

Honeydripper' has a surprising lack of heart, panache and charisma.....Predictable, sanitised, slow and featuring a very weak lead performance....the quality of the sets perhaps being the reason for the marked reluctance to smash anything -.... ... Full Review

Enjoyable drama with a strong script by writer-director John Sayles and a superb performance from Danny Glover.....The plot is completely predictable....The music is superb too....Danny Glover is superb as Pine Top....Similarly, the script crackles with good dialogue (Sayles frequently supplements his own career with stints as a sought-after script doctor) and really captures the atmosphere of the period..... ... Full Review

And the first-rate supporting cast features welcome veteran Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Keach and others.....But those who are patient will be rewarded with an engaging cast and the type of rousing ending that makes it worthwhile.....Besides, Sayles and his cast and crew obviously have much love and appreciation for the music of the time period and region..... ... Full Review