Blue Like JazzMovie Reviews


So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Taylor's film is never boring, and it has some beautiful, thought-provoking moments. In a genre in which preaching to the choir seems to be the norm, this film is a welcome entry. Read full review

  • 63
    Slant Magazine |

    Blue Like Jazz charts a typical existential coming-of-age tale, yet remains atypical by being hip while also treating religion fairly. Read full review

  • 63
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    Without being parodistic, it manages to poke fun at the air of privilege and strenuous political correctness common to lefty, liberal arts schools, while retaining a certain affection for their heartfelt quirks. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    Just earnest enough to blend its religious theme with a beer-chugging hero for a surprisingly contemporary look at faith. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    It does give believers and those tottering on the edge something to chew on, and it steadfastly refuses to demonize everybody else. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Post |

    Steve Taylor's direction is unexciting but solid, relying on the beauty of Portland and his spirited young cast for most of the visual interest. Read full review

  • 50
    Village Voice |

    One only has so much patience, though, for watching Communion-wafer-thin characters caught in a liberal-arts cartoon. Read full review

  • 42
    Portland Oregonian | Marc Mohan

    The potential for an interesting story is high. Unfortunately, Miller's autobiographical tale, as told in Blue Like Jazz, squanders this potential by failing to take place in a recognizably real world. Read full review

  • 30
    Austin Chronicle | Marjorie Baumgarten

    The primary problem with Blue Like Jazz is that there is no believable character development. Read full review

  • 20
    Time Out New York | David Fear

    The movie adaptation's version of religion may be more nuanced than the usual Left Behind fire-and-brimstone sermonizing you find in much contemporary pro-Christian cinema, but it still leaves behind a sulfuric stink. Read full review

View more reviews for Blue Like Jazz on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Coming-of-age college comedy has muddled messages.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Blue Like Jazz, which was based on a semi-autobiographical book by Donald Miller, is a coming-of-age story about a religious teen who chooses to attend a very liberal college. The school is shown as being free-spirited and full of bad/odd behavior, though the movie doesn't show anything extreme. Characters think and talk about sex quite often (though there's no nudity); language includes "s--t," "bitch," and more. Underage drinking and drug use (pot) are fairly prevalent; overindulgence is portrayed as comic.
  • Families can talk about Blue Like Jazz's sex talk and innuendo. How much of it is just hot air? Which of the teens are interested in a real connection?
  • What is the movie trying to say? Is it pro- or anti-religion? Is it pro- or anti-spirituality? What does spirituality without religion mean?
  • What makes college kids drink and experiment with drugs? Is it peer pressure? Are the consequences of overindulgence portrayed realistically?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Blue Like Jazz's message is a bit mixed. It starts out by making fun of religion for being hypocritical but eventually seems to say that religion and spirituality still have much to offer people on a very personal level.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: The main character learns how he can fit into his new school environment while still staying true to himself and helping others.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Occasional mild verbal conflicts and arguments. The main characters are arrested for painting graffiti on a billboard.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: Characters are definitely thinking about sex, and there's strong flirting and innuendo, though no nudity or kissing. A giant condom is used in a prank. A character is said to be pregnant.
  • language false3 Language: Fairly strong language includes "s--t," "bitch," "dumb," "hell," "retards," "a--hole," "ass," "hell," and "idiot."  
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: The main character drinks Red Bull during his drive to school. Several cans spill from his car when he arrives. He owns a Dell computer.  
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: College students are shown overindulging quite often -- drinking beer and other alcohol, eating pot brownies, etc. One character chews tobacco. References to being drunk and high. The hero works in a factory that makes little individual packets of communion wine (they look like blood); viewers see several of these packets, and characters are seen drinking them.
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Blue Like Jazz Movie Reviews + Ratings

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