Blue Like Jazz: The Movie Review

Guest Post: Jon Olsen

So got to know Jon a few years back in Northern California, where we interned together at Community Presbyterian Church for a summer. Theological rooftop conversations, Francis Chan, uncomfortable staff meetings, rebuking elders in staff meetings (which made them even more uncomfortable), Primo’s Pizza, beer and two-buck-chuck, all add up to an unforgettable summer… nonetheless Jon and I still stay in touch, he moved down to Southern California and is now youth pastoring at a local church in Irvine! He’s written for me in the past, and I asked him to write again, not just because I’m lazy, but because I knew he’d write a far better and more intelligent review than I could, so hope you enjoy!

Blue Like Jazz movie review

About six weeks ago, thousands of youth pastors, interns and volunteers descended upon the Town & Country Convention Center in central San Diego for Youth Specialties’ National Youth Workers Convention, a conference/summit of sorts that caters to upper-lower-middle class folks who love working with students of all ages. Amidst a ton of books to buy, hip worship acts and a Christian illusionist (I know, right?), a man named Steve Taylor hosted an advance screening of the little-Christian-movie-that-could, Blue Like Jazz. Yours truly, along with Andy Gill, attended that screening.

The details of Blue’s origin, dramatic near-death experience, and inevitable rise from the financial ashes could be an engaging film unto itself. Donald Miller, writer of the book of the same name that inspired the film, was approached by Taylor and his associate about the possibility of creating a film out of Don’s bestselling flagship pseudo-novel about finding God despite himself in Portland’s Reed college. Don was hesitant at first; who looks at a Christian inspiration book and sees a dramatic narrative? But with some creative tweaking, Blue Like Jazz (the movie) became a reality. After tireless writing, having financial contributors back out, and having the internet save the film by raising upwards of $350,000 (what can’t the internet do?!), Don & Co. finished the filming the movie and brought a rough cut to NYWC. I say this to clarify that I am reviewing an unfinished, unpolished version of the film.

We meet Don on the eve of his college experience. A communion cup factory worker and volunteer youth leader at his Baptist church, he is deciding whether to stick around his rickety home town to take care of his single mother or take his father’s advice and attend Reed college, Portland’s educational epicenter of liberalism and anti-religious thinking. Don doesn’t want to attend a college that goes against everything he’s been raised to believe, but after a traumatic, albeit funny, realization, Don is all too happy to leave Christianity in the dust and head for his new life at Reed.

PROS: Blue is a coming-of-age film in every sense. While most films in that genre deal with adolescence while characters are still in high school, this one seems to know what everyone in their 20’s already knows: We have no idea who we are yet. Don is a naïve, sloppy mess when he shows up at Reed, and as a Christian viewer, it was an incredibly cathartic experience watching his worldview expose itself, implode, and transform into something truly unexpected. The writing of this film, though obviously heavily based on Donald Miller’s book, doesn’t feel like a 90-minute speech that strings together line after line of philosophical fancy; instead, the script was written with an emphasis on dialogue. The messy and raw conversations Don has with his friends and fellow students have a real-world quality to them and are completely refreshing from the typical Hollywood fodder. If you go see this movie, it should be for the writing. The topics explored in Blue Like Jazz are brand new for the commercial film industry, and it’s interesting seeing them being played out on the big screen. The acting is done with love and respect for the source material; you can tell these folks aren’t doing this for a paycheck.

CONS: The one major con I have with this movie is that it was made on an obvious budget. Having watched many a film in my day, the shoestring budget of Blue was apparent to me from the beginning and remained obvious throughout the entirety of the movie. This counts as a con for me not because I hate low budget films; it is a con because, due to the student-film look of the movie, I found myself distracted from its message and story. I wanted to pay attention to Don, Penny and the rest of the well-written characters, but as hard as the filmmakers tried to make it look theater-quality, it just isn’t. Hopefully me telling you this will help you understand that fact going into the film and it won’t distract you the way it did me.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Blue Like Jazz is the movie the Christian community needs. It may not be the one it wants, as it prominently features a bi-sexual coed and a great many curse words, but it is the one it needs because it shows someone searching for their faith in the real world. Sorry folks, but Fireproof just ain’t gonna cut it for my generation. We can back this film because it tells our story. If you’re a twenty-something or thirty-something Christian living in America (or are looking to understand one), see this movie.

GRADE: B

(Oh yeah, you guys can also check out more of Jon’s movie review here on his site: Cinephilesreviews.wordpress.com)