Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


Honeydripper (2007)

Director: John Sayles

Time Out rating

Average user rating
2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Harmony, Alabama, 1950: hard times have hit the Honeydripper saloon. Proprietor Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover) is staking his bets on one Guitar Sam, who Ty – hoping to win back the young crowd lost to the jukebox over at the Ace of Spades – has booked to replace his elderly blues chanteuse on Saturday night, when Sam’s set to pass through town. But first Tyrone needs money for beer, electricity… and the guitar man.

Like all Sayles’ films, this bluesy ensemble piece is firmly grounded in time and place; his exploration of the textures of everyday life in the postwar Deep South – not just the politics of race, but religion, sexuality, work, the law, commerce and culture, most especially music – is illuminating in its detail, and authentic in dialogue and characterisation. There’s a host of lovely performances from a superb cast – including Charles S Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Mary Steenburgen – immaculately lit camerawork from Dick Pope, and a stirring tribute to the power of music. Oh, and Glover is great.

Author: Geoff Andrew

Time Out London Issue 1968, May 8-14, 2008


User reviews of this film

  • andy said...
    Posted on May 26 2008 18:53 My God, this is tedious. You spend the whole film waiting for the electric guitar to be plugged in, then you only get three brief snatches. The acting is wooden, dialogue and story corrny (and reliant on some really dodgy stereotypical racial and sexual politics). What is it about these revered liberal film-makers - nobody can bring themselves to say they're living off past glories (we have our own examples in Mike Leigh and Ken Loach)?
    Give this one a loud miss (or prepare to fall asleep like I did.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Chris said...
    Posted on May 24 2008 22:11 Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy. No surprises in the story, bad acting and even the three or four music pieces in the film weren't that great.
    Report as inappropriate

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: John Sayles

Cast: Gary Clark Jr., Danny Glover, Charles S Dutton, Mary Steenburgen, Stacy Keach, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Keb' Mo, Yaya DaCosta full cast

Genre(s): Drama

Rated: PG

Duration: 123 mins

UK Release: May 9 2008
US Release: Dec 28 2007



Most popular on this site


Top Stories

The 10 worst date movies

The 10 worst date movies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made

Oscar predictions for 2012

Oscar predictions for 2012

We take a punt on who will win this year's golden statues

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas

10 unlikely badboy biopics

10 unlikely badboy biopics

Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing