Jason's Lyric (1994) on Netflix
Jason Alexander works at a Houston electronics shop and lives with his mother, Gloria. His brother Joshua is out of prison, and a waitress, Lyric, walks in to buy a television.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.6/105,179 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes61%
Trailer
Plot summary
Two brothers in Houston, Jason and Joshua Alexander, grew up after their abusive father's death. Jason took the steady path: a job in an electronics shop, a home with his mother, Gloria. Joshua has just been released from prison, quick to anger and unable to stay clear of trouble, and both his mother and his brother want him to change. A waitress named Lyric comes into the store to buy a television, and Jason sets out to win her over, though she keeps her distance from men. Lyric's older brother, Alonzo, runs with a gang, and Joshua drifts toward it. Jason is still haunted by nightmares of his childhood, and his plans with Lyric run against the pull of his family.
Cast
- Rushion McDonaldas Fast Freddy
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Jason's Lyric (1994)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Filmmaker Jamaa Fanaka countered Rainer's opinion that the sex scenes were there to raise the film's box office, saying its target demographic want to see romantic stories that feature two black leads in such scenes, and that the film offers them a sort of "cinematic sexual healing."
- In December 2024 stage playwright Je'Caryous Johnson announced on Instagram that he had adapted the film into an off-Broadway production, "Jason's Lyric: Live!", with Allen Payne reprising Jason Alexander and Naughty by Nature's Treach reprising Alonzo "A-1", alongside Eva Marcille, K. Michelle and Tyrin Turner.
- Roger Ebert praised the cast's performances, director Doug McHenry's "lyrical touches" to the poetic aesthetics of Bobby Smith, Jr.'s script, and the film's willingness to tackle dramatic themes that New Jack City and Sugar Hill also explored, concluding: "It's not some little plot-bound genre formula."
