This movie has a lot going for it. Dexter Gordon, a real (and real good) jazz-musician-turned-actor stars as Dale Turner, an alcoholic saxophone player who moves to Paris and rediscovers his music and life.
His world-weary voice and vibrant music talent help him to carry the role, deemed good enough to have been nominated for an Academy Award. Herbie Hancock wrote the music, obtaining a sound track that is sprinkled with Hancockian licks and solid jazz classics, apparently performed by a number of famous jazz musicians, such as Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson and Pierre Michelot. With their support and the convenience of having a number of hit tunes to use in the sound track, it’s no wonder Herbie won the Academy Award for best score for this movie. It’s wonderful.
Where the movie disappoints, though, is in the story, which is convoluted and unconvincing. It is supposedly based on things that happened to Bud Powell and Lester Young, but because it is not a biopic of either one of those guys, it ends up being about nobody. The frenchman who befriends Dexter Gordon’s character is just not believable, especially when he says things like “Your music changed my life” to a fictional guy who doesn’t play an original tune in the entire movie. I can’t get wrapped up in somebody’s life when I don’t know who they are, and while some attempt is made to sway the audience to care about these forlorn characters, ultimately, the audience is left feeling detached and empty. For a peek into the world of 1960’s jazz, though, the movie is adequate, and the sound track is first rate and pretty much worth the price of admission.
You won’t be overwhelmingly impressed by this movie, but you won’t feel like you completely wasted two hours, either.
Tags: jazz, Round Midnight