Honeydripper

Alabama, the 1950s. Tyrone Purvis is the hard-up owner of the Honeydripper Lounge. With a make-or-break weekend coming up, Tyrone decides to hire the famous electric guitar player, “Guitar Sam”, for a one-night gig to try and beat his competition. But when Sam doesn’t show up, he has to convince the local sheriff to release a young man from prison who claims to be able to play like the legend. When Saturday night arrives, it will bring with it answers to the questions about the Honeydripper’s future. Set in America of the 1950s, John Sayles’s film is an allegory about a moment of historical change: that of the civil rights movement and that of blues and rock music. As usual, Sayles places the plot within a social context, evinces nuanced performances from his ensemble of actors, and doesn’t forgo a strong plot backbone. The result is “his best film since Lone Star” (Screen Daily).