Taglines: ‘Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.
Poetic Justice movie storyline. After witnessing the murder of her first and only boyfriend, young Justice decides to forget about college and become a South Central Los Angeles hairdresser. Avoiding friends, the only way for her to cope with her depression is by composing beautiful poetry.
On her way to a convention in Oakland, she is forced to ride with an independent-minded postal worker whom she has not gotten along with in the past. After various arguments between them and their friends, they start to discover that their thoughts on violence, socially and domestically, are the same. Justice may finally feel that she is not as alone as before.
Poetic Justice is a 1993 American romantic drama film starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur with Regina King and Joe Torry. It was written and directed by John Singleton. The main character, Justice, writes poems which she recites throughout the movie. The poems featured in the film were written by Maya Angelou, and Angelou also appears in the film as one of the three elderly sisters whom the characters meet at a roadside family reunion. The Last Poets make an appearance toward the end of the film.
Poetic Justice reached #1 in the box office its opening weekend, grossing $11,728,455. It eventually grossed a total of $27,515,786. Jackson received nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, with the Billboard Hot 100 number one song, “Again”.
It was later referenced in Kendrick Lamar’s single “Poetic Justice”, which was titled after and based on the film. The song sampled Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place.” Shakur and fellow actors Lloyd Avery II and Dedrick Gobert would all meet violent deaths after the release of this film.
Poetic Justice (1993)
Directed by: John Singleton
Starring: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Khandi Alexander, Maya Angelou, Kimberly Brooks, Maia Campbell, John Cothran, Jeff Cantrel
Screenplay by: John Singleton
Production Design by: Keith Brian Burns
Cinematography by: Peter Lyons Collister
Film Editing by: Bruce Cannon
Costume Design by: Darryle Johnson
Set Decoration by: Daniel Loren May
Art Direction by: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Music by: Stanley Clarke
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong language, and for violence and sexuality.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: July 23, 1993
Hits: 110
