Ms. Hen reviews BLUE LIKE JAZZ and mediates on what is it to be human and give bad reviews

Blue Like Jazz 2012

BLUE LIKE JAZZ

Directed by Steve Taylor

2012

Ms. Hen wanted to like BLUE LIKE JAZZ. It seemed like an independent, cool film about a young person trying to find himself and become a better person. But it wasn’t. It was about a character that didn’t change and went back to being the person he used to be.

BLUE LIKE JAZZ is about Don, who lives in Texas, goes to a junior college, works at a communion cup factory and is an assistant youth pastor at his church. He parents are divorced and his liberal father suggests he transfer to Reed College instead of Trinity Baptist College because Reed College is a decent school where everyone has a genius IQ. Don doesn’t want to go, but he discovers that his mother is having an affair with the youth pastor and drives to Portland, Oregon to Reed College in a rage.

When Don drives to Portland, he magically turned into a rabbit chasing a pretty carrot. This is the only shining moment in the film. Ms. Hen thought the story would turn out to be like DONNIE DARKO, but it didn’t. Ms. Hen kept waiting for the rabbit to come back, she thought maybe it would appear again, but after driving across the country, the rabbit disappeared. Other people dressed in animal costumes dot the film, but they are few and far between, and when they do appear it’s strange, but oddly charming.

Reed College is a liberal bastion; a far cry from Texas, and Don is a fish out of water, a conservative Christian trying to find his way in a college in the Pacific Northwest. He tries to fit in to impress a girl named Penny, who seems like she has a mission to be as radical as possible. Don doesn’t know which end is up. Ms. Hen rooted for him so he would change and become more of an adult.

None of the students at the college who seem hip and trendy are realistic, and are caricatures. Ms. Hen hated the ending of the film when Don changes his mind and go back to his old ways. Ms. Hen wanted him to change, and not be another brainwashed robot.

Ms. Hen didn’t know what she was getting into when she started watching this film. She didn’t know that she was watching a Christian film. But she enjoys not liking things and complaining, so she decided to give reviewing it a go. It’s her first real negative review, but you can’t love everything. It’s part of being human, or being a hen.