Honeydripper tells the story of Tyrone “Pinetop” Purvis (Danny Glover), an ill-fated club owner whose business is failing because of his commitment to the music of his youth.
This commitment is tested to breaking point as the mournful, whiskey-soaked blues peddled by house singer Bertha Mae is drowned out by the swinging sounds of the neighbouring competition. A one-off performance by popular guitarist Guitar Sam promises to be his ticket out of the red, but Sam’s no-show throws travelling waif Sonny Clark (Gary Clark Jr.) into the role of Pinetop’s saviour.
However, the film’s musical finale is not effervescent enough; it does not sound like the birth of something, thanks in part to Clark Jr.’s lack of screen presence; his guitar-playing exit from the club leaves him looking a touch lost, like a spindly-legged deer in the headlights. This is a minor criticism though, of a great sounding film, which also contains a number of excellently pitched performances. It just fails to truly excite when it matters most.
Adam Carroll-Smith
