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Prison Song

R Released Apr 27, 2001 1h 40m Drama List
Reviews 94% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings
Life has dealt Elijah (Q-Tip) a tough hand. His stepfather is sent to prison, and his mother (Mary J. Blige) becomes institutionalized. Elijah spends time in foster homes, but his talent for photography leads to a college scholarship offer. Soon, however, events spiral out of hand, and Elijah finds himself behind bars for accidentally killing a man (Fat Joe) during a fight. Assisted by his understanding lawyer (Elvis Costello), Elijah fights for his dignity and for prison reform. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
David Nusair Apollo Guide Desperately wants to be some kind of a cautionary tale for urban youths, but is instead a preachy and inane waste of time. Rated: 20/100 Feb 25, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (117) audience reviews
Audience Member Possibly the most depressing urban jail film of the 2000s. Makes Monster Ball look like Monster Inc Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Fat joe is the life of the movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member this movie is good when he got shot I was like wtf this movie was very sad Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member I LOVED IT!! I CRIED SOOO MUCH!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is my favorite movie of all time, I could watch this movie 100 times and still love it....great movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie its ma number 1 movie I love mary j blige.... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Prison Song

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Life has dealt Elijah (Q-Tip) a tough hand. His stepfather is sent to prison, and his mother (Mary J. Blige) becomes institutionalized. Elijah spends time in foster homes, but his talent for photography leads to a college scholarship offer. Soon, however, events spiral out of hand, and Elijah finds himself behind bars for accidentally killing a man (Fat Joe) during a fight. Assisted by his understanding lawyer (Elvis Costello), Elijah fights for his dignity and for prison reform.
Director
Darnell Martin
Producer
Richard Guay, Brad Epstein, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal
Screenwriter
Darnell Martin, Q-Tip
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
New Line Cinema
Rating
R (Brief Sexual Content|Violence|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 27, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2018
Runtime
1h 40m