Honeydripper

John Sayles' film Honeydripper has been playing at the area art house this week. I've been waiting for this film since seeing a rough cut of a scene on YouTube last year. In some ways I can't say that I'm disappointed, it does deliver the music and there is no bad performance from anyone in the cast. Keb Mo as the itinerant spirit of the blues who is, mostly, only seen by Danny Glover's Tyrone "pinetop" purvis, is a standout. That being said it also does not really work. A subplot about two cotton pickers who hate each other is nothing but tedious and its resolution feels false. Equally tedious is Mary Steenburgen in a pointless scene that seems to have been written only so she would have a part in the movie (at least thats the only charitable reason I can think of.)