Love Jones

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Love Jones

R

Released Mar 14, 1997

1h 48m

Romance

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Two urban African-Americans, Darius (Larenz Tate), an aspiring writer, and Nina (Nia Long), an aspiring photographer, share an instant connection after a chance meeting at a Chicago club. The two bond over music, photography and poetry, and eventually begin a torrid romance. However, when Nina decides to move to New York and mend her relationship with her ex-fiancé, Marvin (Khalil Kain), it leaves Darius heartbroken, and the couple's future in jeopardy.

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Critics Consensus

An endearing romance that puts a fairly fresh perspective on familiar framework, Love Jones is worth falling for.

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Rosalind Bentley

Minneapolis Star Tribune

The question that comes to mind while watching "love jones" is, "What took Hollywood so long to make a film like this?"

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 8, 2023

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Witcher makes a remarkably confident filmmaking debut, eliciting excellent performances from his leads and underscoring their romance with a soundtrack that flavors, rather than overwhelms, the story.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 8, 2023

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Bob Fenster

Arizona Republic

For a movie with so much talk, it has little to say. Love, we learn, is not easy. Point well taken. But most of us have found that out for ourselves.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 8, 2023

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Mary Kunz Goldman

Buffalo News

"Love Jones" is so pretty to look at -- and listen to -- that its moldy story hardly matters.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 8, 2023

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Imran Khan

PopMatters

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Witcher has assembled a cast that is easy on the viewers’ eyes; a handsome lot of players who speak as hip as they dress, and strut, sulk, and flirt around the scenery with elegance.

Rated: 8/10

May 5, 2022

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Starring budding luminaries such as Larenz Tate, Nia Long and Isaiah Washington, the power of Witcher’s film lies in its intelligence and simplicity -- a well-written, beautifully presented snap shot of 1990s Chicago.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 4, 2022

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m.j. s

The chemistry between Larenz Tate and NIa Long is truly electric. This movie which was made in 1997 stands the test of time and is still every bit of powerful and transcendent today in 2025. A masterpiece through and through.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

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Audience Member

unless you're really into the whole dating thing and the 'twin soulmates' dynamic you might as well skip this one but the thing that makes this movie still good is the two main leads each leading their own lives when it comes to love no room for attachment, commitment, and so on in terms of African American cinema this movie does attempt to explain itself in many varieties the discussions range from love to manhood to sex and the comedy in the writing is full of spontaneity

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

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Sherri L

In my top 10 favorite movies (probably top 5.) A GREAT love story that touches all your emotions. Everyone should watch this atleast one time and when you do, don't focus on the color of the characters skin (if that's a hang up for you) and enjoy!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

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Audience Member

This movie is perfect, and I mean that literally. Nia Long and Larenz Tate are drop dead gorgeous, their chemistry is amazing, the lines are memorable, every single second of this movie is utter perfection. It is one of the greatest romance movies ever made, I've seen countless times and should everyone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

Great cinematography. Classic soundtrack and very relatable characters.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

Classic movie ..game changer..

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

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Theodore Witcher

Director

Larenz Tate

Darius Lovehall

Nia Long

Nina Mosley

Isaiah Washington

Savon Garrison

Lisa Nicole Carson

Josie Nichols

Khalil Kain

Marvin Cox

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Synopsis

Two urban African-Americans, Darius (Larenz Tate), an aspiring writer, and Nina (Nia Long), an aspiring photographer, share an instant connection after a chance meeting at a Chicago club. The two bond over music, photography and poetry, and eventually begin a torrid romance. However, when Nina decides to move to New York and mend her relationship with her ex-fiancé, Marvin (Khalil Kain), it leaves Darius heartbroken, and the couple's future in jeopardy.

Director: Theodore Witcher
Producer: Nick Wechsler, Jeremiah Samuels
Screenwriter: Theodore Witcher
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Addis Wechsler Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 14, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.5M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS

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