Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Blue Like Jazz

Play trailer Poster for Blue Like Jazz PG-13 Released Apr 13, 2012 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
40% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A college student (Marshall Allman) seeks escape from his evangelical upbringing by transferring to a progressive school in Portland, Ore.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Blue Like Jazz

Critics Reviews

View All (40)
Barbara Vancheri Philadelphia Inquirer Rated: 2/4 Jan 22, 2013 Full Review Nell Minow Beliefnet The vocabulary of faith should not be the exclusive property of one small subset of believers; it is heartening to watch a movie that makes that point with such grace. Rated: B+ Apr 19, 2012 Full Review Scott Bowles USA Today Just earnest enough to blend its religious theme with a beer-chugging hero for a surprisingly contemporary look at faith. Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 13, 2012 Full Review Ed Travis Hollywood Jesus Blue Like Jazz is probably the best Christian film I have ever seen and it manages to leave behind many of the shackles that have held back lots of other films with a Christian message. Apr 1, 2020 Full Review Al Alexander The Patriot Ledger Sodom and Gomorrah are paradoxically brought back to life in the form of an Oregon-based liberal-arts college in this Christian recruiting video. Rated: C- May 26, 2013 Full Review Simon Foster sbs.com.au Blue Like Jazz certainly breaks the mould in terms what audiences have come to expect from spiritual cinema, but it refuses to take the necessary leap required to fully redefine mainstream audiences' perception of this niche genre. Apr 4, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (273)
SIBIRIAK . First of all, I have to be honest. I found this film scrolling down Tania's filmography. I was curious (and still am) what she was like before Goliath. Now, While watching the film I've learned it's a book. Since I didn't read it I'm judging the film as a film from a standpoint of viewing experience. And even that is hard because I'm struggling to find the source of my dissatisfaction. But let me try... Regardless how the film is a book's reincarnation seems, as a film film it gives you a hard time in finding something amongst all the storylines to stick your mind to. What is the film about is it about loosing faith, or is it about finding faith? is it about Reed College, ahh, wait, wait, no it's clearly not. But it sure seemed that in the beginning. Is it a coming-of-age film? Well, the dude is a grown-up man. Where else you need to "come" of this "age"? Ok, maybe it's a love story? Well, sure the screen time isn't dedicated to the love story. Paraphrasing the quote from the film. This film is like a bad jazz tune. It can't find its theme to improvise on, instead it's just rambling around like a young musician that just learned a couple of scale-runs. Can't give it anything lower than 6. It's not a b-film. Casting is good. Music selection is very very good. Probably because they didn't have a budget and they chose all the obscure indie bands which tilt the film into this earthy Stumptown-ish vibe very neatly. Locations are good. Cinematography does its jobs. I didn't see anything groundbreaking but clearly they put some thought into it. Sound recording should be also taken into consideration. It's comfortable to watch and it doesn't sound like a radio play. Editing is pleasing, it helps to tell the story, however messy it might be. I'm not going to discuss the characters. It's a slippery slope. We tend to do all crazy stuff in real life. It's hard to argue what is realistic and what is not. On a personal level I don't sympathize with the main character. He's dumb. But we need stories about lost souls too. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/10/25 Full Review Audience Member Blue Like Jazz is a must see. A Christian movie that is more enjoyable than others I've seen. Some of the content is outrageous because of the setting of the movie, but if you can get through that, it's well worth seeing. The message is one that hits home with most everybody, I imagine. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member This film was almost good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member What constitutes a movie as a "Christian film?" This narrative doesn't even have a moment where the Gospel is explained, and in fact, is quite brutal on religion as a whole. Unfortunately, nobody is going to see this question-provoking, answer-withholding film: non-believers will lump this in with other Christian propoganda, and believers don't want to see a movie where religion is attacked, sex is secularly represented, and words like "shit" are tossed around. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is overall a fine flick, and is notable for the work of Jason Marsden, who puts in his greatest effort since his portrayal of Professor Baldini in 2011's Pizza Man. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the finest coming-of-age films I've ever seen. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Blue Like Jazz

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
To Save a Life 41% 82% To Save a Life Watchlist Touchback 38% 63% Touchback Watchlist Mooz-lum 80% 78% Mooz-lum Watchlist 4 Minute Mile 23% 44% 4 Minute Mile Watchlist Tiger Eyes 63% 53% Tiger Eyes Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A college student (Marshall Allman) seeks escape from his evangelical upbringing by transferring to a progressive school in Portland, Ore.
Director
Steve Taylor
Producer
J. Clarke Gallivan, Steve Taylor
Screenwriter
Donald Miller, Ben Pearson, Steve Taylor
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
Production Co
Ruckus Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Language|Drug and Alcohol Content|Sexuality|Mature Thematic Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 13, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 7, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$594.9K
Runtime
1h 46m
Most Popular at Home Now