Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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? Read More Read Less

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Poetic Justice

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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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Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (1) 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 Full Review Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times "Poetic Justice" is a disappointment. Apr 26, 2019 Full Review Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (3) 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 Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (4) 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 Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (5) 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 Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (6) 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 Read all reviews

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

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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
Most Popular at Home Now
Poetic Justice | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Why is poetic justice so popular? ›

Long before feminism became a topic of discussion in the mainstream, Poetic Justice helped introduce a nation of black women to the movement through Jackson's character Justice, who demanded respect from men like Lucky and helped uplift women like her friend Iesha and inspired them to love themselves.

What was the point of poetic justice movie? ›

The main storyline follows a young woman named Justice who works as a hairdresser in South Central LA following the murder of her former boyfriend Markell. Her only way to cope with such a horrific tragedy is through beautiful poetry, which is one of the biggest plot notes throughout the movie.

What happened to justice's boyfriend in poetic justice? ›

Justice (Janet Jackson) loses her boyfriend when someone shots him right in front of her on a date at the drive-thru. It's the violent world of South Central L.A. She withdraws into her hairdressing job and her poetry. Lucky (Tupac Shakur) is a postal carrier who is sweet on her.

Is poetic justice kid friendly? ›

Parents need to know that Poetic Justice is an iconic '90s romance -- starring Black cultural icons Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson -- that tackles a number of societal issues. It features frequent strong language -- including variants of "f--k" and the "N" word -- incidents of gun violence that result in…

Is poetic justice good or bad? ›

Poetic justice is a literary term describing a story in which good triumphs over evil or bad deeds are punished while good deeds are rewarded.

How old was Tupac in poetic justice? ›

Tupac Shakur got into a heated verbal altercation with an extra and a group of men on the set. The extra, who was a member of the Rollin 20s Bloods gang, said that the 21-year-old Shakur flashed Crip gang signs at him before pulling out a 40 caliber pistol.

What is the irony of poetic justice? ›

Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, hence the name poetic irony.

Did Janet Jackson and Tupac have a relationship? ›

Shakur and Janet Jackson had undeniable chemistry when they starred as love interests in John Singleton's 1993 classic Poetic Justice. But off screen, their relationship was rocky. It's known that Shakur took offense when Jackson requested he take an HIV/AIDS test before they kissed in the film.

Is The poetic justice a happy ending? ›

Poetic justice in literature describes evil characters are punished or brought to justice for their actions, and good characters are rewarded. Literature that utilizes poetic Justice will often have happy endings with moral lessons for the reader to learn.

What happened at the end of Poetic Justice? ›

Lucky stops the postal van at a beach, and Justice goes to see what's wrong. She begins opening up to him about her life, and Lucky becomes sympathetic. They share a kiss, and Justice walks away apparently unsure of her feelings for Lucky. She goes back to him, and they kiss again.

What happened to Hayward in poetic justice? ›

The sad news that Heywood receives over the phone is never revealed. According to John Singleton, he left it open for viewers to imagine on their own, but in the DVD commentary he mentions it might be something related to AIDS.

Who is the bone in poetic justice? ›

Tone Loc: J Bone.

Was Jada Pinkett in poetic justice? ›

Jada Pinkett Smith, Lisa Bonet, Monica Calhoun and many other popular actresses auditioned for the role of Justice, though Singleton knew from the script's draft that the role was solely intended for Janet Jackson.

Why is it called poetic justice? ›

The term was coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer in the 17th century, when it was believed that a work of literature should uphold moral principles and instruct the reader in correct moral behaviour.

What is the plot of poetic justice? ›

What is the significance of poetic justice? ›

Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, hence the name poetic irony.

Who Popularised the phrase poetic justice? ›

The term was coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer in the 17th century, when it was believed that a work of literature should uphold moral principles and instruct the reader in correct moral behaviour.

Was poetic justice a number one song? ›

Commercial performance. The song debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the album's first week on sale. It has peaked at number 26 as of March 7, 2013.

What makes poetry so popular? ›

Poetry is great at asking questions, at destabilizing and making us look things in a different way, incorporating a diversity of voices of ways of thinking. That's what poetry is for. So it's a very powerful medium for diverse voices to speak and for other people to then listen to those voices.

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