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The Review:

B-Boy Blues is based on the popular novel by James Earl Hardy. It’s a soapy story of romance and drama where every man is buff and walks around without a shirt.

Timothy Richardson plays Mitchell, a rising star with the magazine he works for. I assume he’s an editor, but it’s never well defined. He has a gal-pal assistant, Michi, played by Brandee Evans, who is smart, quick on her feet, and dedicated. When Mitchell is out of the office and a package arrives for him, she is quick to call and let him know he has to come into the office to sign for it. When he asks her why she won’t sign for it, she’s adamant and tells him he needs to see this package. The scene is outrageous and would never happen in real life, but it’s so damn good that you don’t care.

The delivery man is hot and sexy Raheim, played by Thomas Mackie, who Mitchell later runs into at a bar. Mitchell’s friend Gene (Landon G. Woodson) is well-connected and quickly finds out that Raheim is the kind of guy you sleep with and don’t see again. He knows Mitchell’s history of falling in love with men who are not good for him and presses Mitchell to not get to know him once the sex is done. And since we all know what type of movie this is, nobody is surprised when Mitchell and Raheim quickly fall in love. From there, the soapy drama begins.

The acting is fine, even if it’s not anything special. One of my favorite characters is Aunt Ruth (Heather B), who was a hoot. She plays her role to the hilt and makes you smile and chuckle the entire time.  

The story works, the pacing is steady, and the cast will hold your interest. It’s fun and sexy, with shirtless men and just enough nudity. Director Jussie Smollet tries to get too fancy with awkward edits and hazy dream-like scenes that don’t have a purpose.

The Final Verdict:

Despite its flaws, B-Boy Blues shows that Jussie Smollett knows how to get good performances out of the actors, tell a story, and understands pacing. He just needs to have a tighter vision of the final product. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Also, there’s a great gotcha moment at the end of B-Boy Blues that makes you hope Smollett directs the second book in the series, 2^nd Time Around. You can see B-Boy Blues on BET+.