This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Review: ‘A Journal for Jordan’ is a tear-jerker from Denzel
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Entertainment > Review: ‘A Journal for Jordan’ is a tear-jerker from Denzel
Entertainment

Review: ‘A Journal for Jordan’ is a tear-jerker from Denzel

Editorial Board Published December 21, 2021
Share
Review: ‘A Journal for Jordan’ is a tear-jerker from Denzel
SHARE

Be sure to pack tissues before seeing “A Journal for Jordan” – and we don’t just mean to keep the omicron variant at bay.

No, this Denzel Washington-directed love story may leave you sobbing as it explores duty, sacrifice, death and parenthood.

Washington earns his audience’s tears with an unrushed, unshowy style, letting an adult and very human relationship evolve on camera, skipping back and forth through years as it goes from love, birth, death and acceptance.

It’s the story of the real-life romance between Army 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King and journalist Dana Canedy, two apparent opposites whose lives together were tragically cut short.

She‘s a Type-A city girl who likes pop music and is likely to honk at cars ahead at a traffic light when the light is green; he‘s a patient country boy who likes oldies on the radio and expressionistic art. He eats salad and hits the gym; she does neither.

She‘s focused on her career at The New York Times when we meet her, uninterested in a long-term commitment. “Men are luxuries, not necessities,” she is fond of saying. Until, that is, she meets him.

Michael B. Jordan takes on the role of King and rising star Chanté Adams plays Canedy. Their chemistry on-screen is beautifully evident, a shy wistfulness that roars into lust and adoration. They must overcome separation – she‘s in New York, he‘s in Kentucky – and war, when he‘s deployed to Iraq while she is pregnant.

While abroad, he writes in a journal for his newborn son, Jordan. “Tell him who you are, what you believe in,” she encourages. He writes advice and wisdom. “It’s all right for boys to cry,” is one thing dad writes to his baby boy. Cue the waterworks. King only met Jordan once before he was killed by a roadside bomb in 2006.

The screenplay by Virgil Williams is based on Canedy‘s best-seller but takes some melodramatic liberties, often unnecessarily. Watching Canedy give birth while alternating with King simultaneously presiding over a funeral for three soldiers in Iraq is laying it on a little thick. The final, teary scene is also undercut when we’re told the austere location was completely made up for dramatic purposes.

Though it might be called “A Journal for Jordan,” the film mostly focuses on the parents and leaves only as a coda the son’s story. It also leaves King an unblemished figure, supremely noble. His only quirks are a poor fashion sense, a prior divorce and an endless love for his troops.

As a portrait of two star-crossed lovers, the film stands strong, even though is seems to abandon Canedy‘s career halfway through and milks the tragedy to make her and King almost epic figures. When mom explains to her son that dad died for his Army buddies, she explains: “That’s what heroes do, baby.”

Frustratingly, the boy supposedly at this film’s center – played nicely by Jalon Christian – is not. But prepare for waterworks as it builds to a rousing conclusion. Maybe pack a whole box of Kleenex.

“A Journal for Jordan,” a Columbia Pictures release that arrives in theaters on Friday, is rated PG-13 for “some sexual content, partial nudity, drug use and language.” Running time: 131 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC.

TAGGED:EntertainmentWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Unruly Passengers Will Lose TSA PreCheck, Officials Say Unruly Passengers Will Lose TSA PreCheck, Officials Say
Next Article American Workers Are Burned Out, and Bosses Are Struggling to Respond American Workers Are Burned Out, and Bosses Are Struggling to Respond

Editor's Pick

California dwelling of lacking child’s mother and father searched; father has served time for youngster cruelty

California dwelling of lacking child’s mother and father searched; father has served time for youngster cruelty

San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators on Sunday, Aug. 17, searched the house of the mother and father of the infant…

By Editorial Board 9 Min Read
Farmer Needs a Spouse: John Sansone and Claire Dinette Break up!
Farmer Needs a Spouse: John Sansone and Claire Dinette Break up!

Studying Time: 2 minutes It's sadly over for one more actuality tv…

4 Min Read
Search continues for lacking Norwegian trekker in Manitoba, however with out assist from northern Ontario crew
Search continues for lacking Norwegian trekker in Manitoba, however with out assist from northern Ontario crew

Whereas RCMP say they've their eyes on the fast-moving Hayes River, a…

6 Min Read

Oponion

Hailey Bieber Flaunts Wedding ceremony Ring Amid Infinite Divorce Chatter

Hailey Bieber Flaunts Wedding ceremony Ring Amid Infinite Divorce Chatter

Studying Time: 3 minutes Forgive the way-too-obvious pun right here,…

June 23, 2025

Is your flight among the many hundreds cancelled as a consequence of Hurricane Milton?

'Kudlow' panelists Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla.,…

October 11, 2024

10 Causes Why Cashews Should be Consumed Every day in Winter

Consuming cashews day by day in…

December 26, 2024

Kate Middleton Calls for Change to ‘Brutal’ Royal Custom: Report

Studying Time: 3 minutes Kate Middleton…

February 28, 2025

Trump hasn’t delivered ‘no taxes on tips’ promise—however Democrats ought to

In its explainer on President Donald…

July 9, 2025

You Might Also Like

Britney Spears Nude Pic Triggers Even Extra Anxiousness Amongst Followers
Entertainment

Britney Spears Nude Pic Triggers Even Extra Anxiousness Amongst Followers

Studying Time: 3 minutes Right here we sadly, and seductively, go once more. On Saturday afternoon, Britney Spears bared mainly…

4 Min Read
Kaylee Goncalves Prevented ‘Incel’ Bryan Kohberger From Raping Roommate, Professional Claims
Entertainment

Kaylee Goncalves Prevented ‘Incel’ Bryan Kohberger From Raping Roommate, Professional Claims

Studying Time: 3 minutes Final month, Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in jail for the murders of 4 Idaho…

4 Min Read
Steve Harvey Divorce Rumors & Marriage Standing With Marcia, Defined
Entertainment

Steve Harvey Divorce Rumors & Marriage Standing With Marcia, Defined

Studying Time: 4 minutes Steve Harvey is a divorced man — twice over, actually. The Household Feud host is not…

7 Min Read
Is Margaret Qualley Pregnant? Discover Out Her Household Plans With Jack Antonoff
Entertainment

Is Margaret Qualley Pregnant? Discover Out Her Household Plans With Jack Antonoff

Studying Time: 4 minutes Over a 12 months after tying the knot to Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, Margaret Qualley additionally…

6 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?