Poetic Justice

34%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

83%

Audience Score

25,000+ Ratings

Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice (Janet Jackson) writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha (Regina King) and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago (Joe Torry). Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky (Tupac Shakur), to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?

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Poetic Justice

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Poetic Justice is commendably ambitious and boasts a pair of appealing stars, but they're undermined by writer-director John Singleton's frustrating lack of discipline.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

After a deceptively funny and offbeat beginning, the movie keeps restarting; each new start shows some promise, and Singleton's talent never really deserts him-but the parts don't come together to create a unified story.

Apr 26, 2019

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

"Poetic Justice" is a disappointment.

Apr 26, 2019

Full Review

Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

Some good performances are balanced out by the film's contrivances and gratuitously foul-mouthed characters.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 26, 2019

Full Review

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Outside of a certain demographic, it's just not going to hit the same way.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 5, 2020

Full Review

Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

It was fine, I loved Janet Jackson, but for me watching it now, my brain is blank. it wasn't terrible, wasn't good, it was just there. Respect to a Black romantic drama revered in the community, but I'd rather watch Love & Basketball...

Rated: 2/5

Mar 5, 2020

Full Review

Stephen Hunter

Baltimore Sun

In short, the movie's pretty much of a mess, as it struggles with big themes but hasn't figured out what to do with them.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 26, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Garrett P While this is a beautiful angle from the collection of John Singleton movies that capture the underprivileged black community in California, there simply isn't enough depth in the story to keep me entertained beyond the witty dialogue. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Jaime 3 An urban love story. Full of pain and loneliness. Janet Jackson is believable as justice. It's an urban cult classic with a memorable supporting cast such as Regina King and 2Pac with lots of memorable catchphrases. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/23 Full Review stevie S I loved watching Miss Jackson acting in this movie; her soft, adorable character was movie ASMR. The supporting couple were great additions to this road trip romance. Tupac Shakur, in my eyes could only play one character in his movies; an angry, chipped over-actor. juice, gridlock'd, bullit, above the rim, were all an angry, aggressive figure. I don't think this was a fluke as he seemed to have had this attitude in his day to day life also. This puts the movie in a different light. He does attempt the slightly goofy approach in the film, which is truly appreciated. The movie, in all, is a well paced ‘diary style' coming of age pt2 movie. Janet's narration saves it several times over during the playthrough. It's in the collection next to boyz n the hood and higher learning (singleton section) where it will remain. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/07/23 Full Review 849D W Great drama. Great plot. Great tunes. Innovative story but a bit too much jealousy and culture insensitivity throughout the film slight often. Edit that insensitivity out the film, the film can earn five stars instead of half or less. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/21/23 Full Review Dominique W Genuinely moving and authentically Black, Poetic Justice is an unfairly judged film worthy of critical reappraisal. Some noticeable technical errors prevent it from being a masterpiece. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Willem W i'm obsessed with this movie Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/22 Full Review Read all reviews

Poetic Justice

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Cast & Crew

John Singleton Director Janet Jackson Justice Tupac Shakur Lucky Regina King Iesha Joe Torry Chicago Maya Angelou Aunt June

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Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice: Trailer 1

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Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice (1993)

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Movie Info

Synopsis Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice (Janet Jackson) writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha (Regina King) and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago (Joe Torry). Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky (Tupac Shakur), to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?

Director: John Singleton
Producer: Steve Nicolaides, John Singleton
Screenwriter: John Singleton
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: New Deal Productions, Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $27.5M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround