Mo' Better Blues (1990)

Mo’ Better Blues (1990) is an American musical comedy-drama film featuring a talented cast including Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee. In the film, set in Brooklyn in 1969, four young boys invite Bleek Gilliam to play baseball with them outside his home, but Bleek’s mother interrupts with a reminder of his trumpet lesson. This leads to a heated family argument as Bleek’s father expresses concerns over his son’s interests. Despite this, Bleek continues to pursue his passion for music and eventually becomes the lead trumpet player for the successful jazz band The Bleek Quintet. However, as an adult, Giant – a childhood friend and the band’s manager – advises Bleek to stop allowing their saxophone player Shadow Henderson from taking long solos.

The next morning, Bleek wakes up with his girlfriend, Indigo Downes. She heads off to class while he catches up with his father. While playing catch, he confesses that even though he cares for Indigo, he’s not ready to commit since he also likes other women. During practice later on, Clarke Bentancourt pays him a visit and suggests that they fire Giant as manager. In return, Bleek offers a suggestion of his own – they should ‘mo’ better’ together. However, things take a sour turn when she bites his lip and he expresses concern about his lip-making abilities. Meanwhile, Giant meets with his bookie to place bets and then joins the band at the club (minus the tardy pianist Left Hand Lacey) where Giant scolds him upon arrival with his French girlfriend.