Genre: Drama/Musical
Director: Spike Lee
Writers: Jimmy Ellis & Chad Taylor
Cast: Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Billy Murray, Rosario Dawson, Derek Luke, Queen Latifah, John Turturro, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Plot: Abraham “Abe” Evans (Denzel Washington) wakes up from his slumber and kisses his wife Dolly Evans (Alfre Woodard) on the cheek as she sleeps. He walks to his bathroom and has a shower, he gets dressed, eats a bowl of cereal, brushes his teeth and checks his watch. He then leaves in his black Buick GNX. "Just Can't Win" by Lee Fields and The Expressions plays. We follow him a little while driving to work. He parks in his reserved car spot and walks toward the front door of the building. The sign reads "Louisiana Typewriter", he looks at the sign then checks his watch he sighs and enters. There he sees Ted Robinson (Bill Murray), his boss and close friend for four decades. Ted took over the typewriter seller and repair business from his dad in the 70s and the first person he hired was Abe. They are the only two employees at this point and the clientele is scarce.
Abe is in his car again on his way home from work this time, he is stuck in the New Orleans traffic and checks his watch. Abe is in his car again on his way home from work this time, he is stuck in the New Orleans traffic and checks his watch. As he waits, he picks up his flip phone to call is daughter but she doesn't answer. He leaves a voicemail asking for ideas for what he should get her mom for Christmas, preferably on the cheaper side.
Abe returns home to a nice cooked meal from Dolly, she kisses him on the cheek and the two sit down and talk as they eat. Dolly asks if anything new happened at work and he says no, the same thing happened as what has happened for the past 40 years. Dolly stands and can feel tension in Abe’s voice, she says that it will all be over soon, soon he will be a retired man. This brings a smile to Abe’s face, he turns around and kisses Dolly. After the meal he brushes his teeth and goes to bed, leaving Dolly to clean up. She is accustomed to this after almost 50 years of marriage.
Abe wakes again and goes through the exact same routine as the day before, he again is stuck in traffic on the way home from work. He gets home again to a cooked meal. He goes to bed and is ready for the next day of work.
The next day he has the same morning routine, and parks the car in the same spot at work. He stands at the entrance of the building and sighs once more. As he walks in, he notices a look on Ted's face (as if to say "we have a customer"). Abe approaches the man and says “Excuse me.” The man, Ezekiel "Zeke" Evans (Samuel L. Jackson) turns around and he says “My baby brother, after all these years, you still here.” Abe laughs, albeit a little shakily, and asks what his brother is doing here. Zeke questions this, asking if he can’t just come see his little brother. Abe says that's easy to say when he hasn't paid a visit since his daughter was still crawling. Zeke smiles, thinking of Kelly. Abe asks what really has brought him back to Louisiana after all these years and Zeke recommends that they talk about it over lunch. Abe says he'd like that. Ted shakes Zeke's hands and says he's still got the same smooth voice after all these years.
At lunch, Zeke and Abe briefly catch up. While they aren't exactly hostile towards each other, there is a lack of warmth in their interaction - almost skepticism on Abe's part. Abe's story is the same as it was last time they saw each other: the same job, same life, more gray hairs? They both laugh. Abe then presses Zeke on what he's been up to.
In a flashback, we see a younger Zeke (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) as a session trumpeter at a local soul record label. He's recruited by one of the artists to join his ensemble and go on tour, which Zeke accepts. He calls his family and tells them he is hitting the road. We then see a montage of the places that Zeke lives as he plays with various artists and having a blast doing it: Detroit, L.A., London, Berlin, New York, Memphis, Miami, and finally San Francisco. Zeke is now older and backing Zelda Reynolds (Queen Latifah), a soul singer who has crossed over into the mainstream. Even though he is not in the spotlight, this definitely the most successful he's ever been in his career. However, he is let go from the band for unknown reasons and he has trouble finding work so he becomes a street performer.
Back in the present, Zeke says he was doing that for the last few years until the Bay area passed new anti-busking laws that took his livelihood from him. So here he is. He saved up the money to fly here and visit his brother, who he was hoping would still be here. He said he went to mom's house first but someone else living there. Abe says "do you not know?" A sense of agony flushes over Zeke's face. "We tried to get ahold of you but couldn't find you anywhere." Abe says as he checks his watch. He says he's still got plenty of time until he needs to get back.
They stand at their parents grave, with their father having passed away in 1968 and their mother in 2002. Zeke says he feels bad that he never came back but he just got so lost in his travels and tribulations. He then transitions into why he came here: he is need of a place to live, at least for a while, until he can find himself back on his feet. Abe knows he is asking if he can stay with him and Dolly. Although it seems like he is going to say yes, he asks where Zeke is staying at the moment and he says he has a hotel for a few nights. Abe says to stay at that hotel tonight and he will talk to Dolly to make sure it is OK. Zeke says he understands and gives his brother a hug.
At home, Dolly is making dinner and asks how work was. While she is expecting the same old same old, Abe's face tells a different story. He says that Zeke unexpectedly arrived and catches her up on what he said. Dolly is swift in her response, saying of course he can stay with them for the time being. Abe is the one who is more hesitant. He says that his brother has always been a bit of a mess and he doesn't know if that would be best to bring that here right now. Dolly is angry and points out to him that family is family. Just because he was gone all of these years doesn't mean he can't be here now.
At work the next day, Ted and Abe talk about Zeke's recent arrival. He says that he is going to visit the hotel after work and take his brother into his home. Ted says that this probably isn't the best time but he's been looking at the books and he's got to be honest: he doesn't know how long they'll be able to stay open. Abe already knows what he's about to say, it's a reality they've been facing for a while there. While they have their loyal clientele of typewriter enthusiasts and the occasional hipster, they aren't selling anything new and are pretty much running on the fumes of repairs at this point. Seeing the defeat in Abe's eyes, Ted puts his hands on his friend's shoulder before giving him a long hug and telling him they'll figure something out.
Zeke sits in the passenger seat of Abe’s car as they drive home. It is a bit of an awkward silence in the car until Zeke speaks up and asks how Kelly actually is. You can see in his face Abe doesn’t quite know as she hasn’t been answering his calls very often, however he does not want to let Zeke know this so he says she is good. Zeke nods and says that is good, he asks if he has any grandchildren to which Abe nods and says he has two boys. Zeke laughs at that and proceeds to call Abe, “Grandpa Abe.” They pull up at the house. Zeke and Abe exit the car and Zeke grabs his bags from the trunk, all he has is a suitcase and his trumpet case. Zeke puts his hand on the suitcase to pick it up and we see a slight tremble as he is hesitates to lift it up. Meanwhile, Abe checks his watch and tells Zeke he can go inside, he’s going to give he and Dolly another minute before he goes in. He'll grab the luggage. Abe takes a look at the instrument and notices it is a bit weathered and beat up. Dolly looks at the time and knows it can’t be Abe yet so she calls out to ask if it’s Zeke to which he says yes. She greets him with open arms and a kiss on the cheek asking if he is hungry. He says “always.” She takes him to the spare room with a bed already made and tells him that dinner is ready when he is. Abe enters the house and Dolly gives him a kiss on the cheek, he puts his suitcase down and gets ready for his dinner. Dolly and Abe talk for a minute before Zeke comes and joins them at the table. Abe and Dolly continue to talk. Zeke now and then butts into their conversation and Abe and Dolly gladly answer all his questions about Kelly, the grandchildren and their lives specifically. Zeke then asks Abe when he will retire to which Abe replies that he will be retiring soon. Dolly looks at Abe and smiles, but Abe’s face looks a little tense.
Kelly (Rosario Dawson) and her husband Dion (Derek Luke) are driving to Abe and Dolly’s with the two kids, 6 and 8 in the back. Dion asks how she is feeling pretty much meeting her uncle. She says that she is a bit nervous but excited at the same time, she wants to meet her dad’s big brother. Dion puts his hand on her leg and hopes for the best. She smiles.
Abe and Zeke sit and watch the NBA game on the television between the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks. They throw some banter back and forth as Zeke in all his travels has come to root for the Knicks whereas Abe goes for his home state. Abe mentions how he has a friend with season tickets and they should go to a game some time. Zeke says he's heard good things about this Zion Williamson kid. New Orleans score on the buzzer to win by a point. Abe rubs it in his face a bit in good humour, Zeke just laughs at his younger brothers antics. The doorbell rings and Abe says that it must be Kelly and the gang. Zeke goes to stand but his leg begins to shake a bit and he falls back into the seat. Abe asks if he’s ok to which he says he is fine he had just been sitting for too long, that game took it out of him. Dolly answers the door and hugs Kelly, Dion and the kids. The kids run over to their grandpa Abe and he hugs them both. He introduces all four of them to Zeke, Zeke acts cool for the kids and gives one of them his hat to try on. Kelly goes up to him and says it’s nice to meet him while shaking his hand.
At dinner, Zeke inquires about Kelly's life and Dion's as well, while telling colorful stories from his past which the kids love. As he holds court, he asks Dolly if they have any alcohol in the house to compliment the meal and she says not presently. Zeke is surprised to hear this and begins to talk about he and Abe's wild drinking days when they were younger. He begins to tell a story about he snuck his little brother into his first bar but the table grows silent and less joyous as he does. He realizes that it might not be appropriate with the kids around so he stops and changes the subject. However, the mood has already distinctly changed. They bid Kelly and family farewell and Kelly asks if he will still be around for Christmas. Zeke jokes "Who knows? I tend to have a habit to disappear from time to time."
As Abe has to wake up early for work, he goes to bed first and Dolly pulls aside Zeke to have a talk when he does. She explains what happened at dinner and why things turned the way they did. In his 30s and 40s, Abe went through tough bouts with alcoholism. As a result, he became abusive at times, towards Dolly and Kelly. Zeke tenses up and says he is sorry to hear this and asks if she is in danger now. She is quick to say no and that Abe has since recovered and been sober since their mother's death. But that time in his life still had some damage on his relationship with their daughter, one that is still be repaired day-by-day to this day. Zeke thanks her for letting him know and apologizes bringing up the story that he did at the table. She says there's no way he could have known, having been away all these years. Zeke ends the conversation by saying he is proud to hear of his brother's sobriety.
A week later, Zeke has grown accustomed to a daily routine as he temporarily lives in Abe's house. When Abe gets home from work, he surprises Zeke with two tickets to see the Pelicans play (like he said he would). At the game, Zeke and Abe continue to rekindle a brotherly bond by watching a sport they both love with Ted joining them as well. The brothers joke about how neither were great athletes but Zeke points out that at least they were good musicians. Ted is surprised to hear that Abe is a musician, he's never heard that before. This prompts Abe to lament about his musical talents, something he wishes he would have pursued a career in like his older brother. Zeke is quick to point out that it is not as glamorous as it sounds but Abe says that it's surely more glamorous than a typewriter repairman and they all laugh. When Ted leaves to go to the concessions, Zeke asks how the job is going and Abe is truthful. He repeats what Ted told him earlier about having to close soon. To make matters worse, he's led Dolly along to believe that they are financially prepared for him to enter retirement but that is just simply not the case. He'll have to keep working for at least five more years to get a comfortable living in retirement. Zeke is bummed to hear this. The conversation ends when Ted returns.
As they drive back home, they pass by the bar that Zeke snuck Abe into in their teens. Abe asks Zeke if he wants to stop in, for old time's sake. Zeke immediately finds himself conflicted. He comes up with an excuse and tells his brother that the game took a lot out of him and he'd rather head back home. Abe says he understands. At night, Zeke lays restless as he thinks about Abe's current predicament and is worried about his brother. He is feeling guilty that he is just another thing weighing Abe down at the moment. At 2am, he gets up instead of falling asleep. He starts to brainstorm ways that he can help Louisiana Typewriter. While he comes up with various ideas, he keeps circling back to what he knows best: music. They could hold a benefit concert featuring local musicians to celebrate both the neighborhood's musical past and save a stalwart business. However, after deciding this, he finds himself conflicted: if he tells Abe, he will turn it down because he is too prideful. But he can't tell Dolly either or else he would reveal Abe's dire work situation. So he keeps it to himself for now and gets some rest.
While Abe is at work and Dolly is away, Zeke starts to get to work on putting the pieces into place for his plan. The first thing he does is take a taxi to the record company he used to work for. There he gets the contact information of some of his former friends and collaborators, some being decently well-known names. He then goes to book a venue at a concert venue that he used to frequent in his younger days. Mark (John Turturro), the owner of the venue, is surprised to see Zeke back in the neighborhood and he says it feels like he's on a reunion tour. The owner tells him that he will need more details in order to book the place on a weekend night. He then points out that didn't he used to play with Zelda Reynolds. If he could get her to commit, the concert would definitely be a go. Zeke smiles and says he'll see what he can do. However, when he leaves Mark's office, his face tells a different story.
Back at home, Zeke holds the phone in his hand and types in a number that he knows by heart. Instead of ringing, he is told that it is disconnected. He's tries the number again, thinking he might have messed up the first time, but again gets the disconnected message. Not being too accustomed to a computer, he sits down to write a letter as his back-up option. As he begins to write, he finds it difficult to find the right words to say. After writing it, he examines it closer and something seems off. But he seals it anyway and addresses it to Zelda.
Christmas Day – its Christmas morning, Dolly, Zeke and Abe gather around the dining table drinking hot beverages. Zeke tells Dolly and Abe that he is excited once again to spend some time with Kelly and the family. Abe has a smile come to his face once more.
Kelly, Dion and the kids arrive at the house with gifts in hand, the boys are playing with water guns as they enter. Dion tells them not to spray it inside. They enter and greet Abe, Zeke and Dolly. Abe takes the gifts from them and places them under the tree where there is already many gifts. The boys go straight up to their great uncle Zeke. He stands up out of his seat and asks Kelly if its fine that he go outside and fight the boys with the water guns, Kelly tells him to knock himself out all the boys have been talking about all morning is seeing their uncle Zeke. Zeke laughs and takes the kids outside. Dolly, Abe, Dion and Kelly talk about Zeke and how he is fitting in a lot better than they thought, Abe says he thought he would’ve disappeared already. They look out the window and we see Zeke spraying the kids with the water guns while (slowly) chasing after them.
After lunch everybody is laughing and having a good time. Abe announces that it is finally time for presents. The kids look at each other excited. They run over to the presents and immediately open their ones from Abe and Dolly. The kids hug their grandparents for their presents and go play with them in another room. After all the presents have been opened, Dolly and Abe bring out one more. They hand the present to Zeke. He says they didn’t have to get him anything, letting him live here is enough. They tell him to open it. He takes the wrapping off and it is a case of some sorts. He opens it and it is a brand new trumpet. Abe says that he noticed Zeke’s trumpet was a bit weathered and thought he deserved a new one. This brings a tear to Zeke’s eye as he hugs his baby brother and Dolly. The kids ask Zeke to play it, so he does. He plays the trumpet with so much glee.
Zeke sits down one on one with Kelly. He starts to tell her about all of the good memories he had with her father, when they would play music together when they were young, and when he met her mother. This brings Kelly to ask if Zeke had ever loved anyone. He says that he once felt love for someone, yes. Zelda Reynolds, he says that the relationship was complicated. When he first joined the band she was married, but he felt an immediate attraction as did she. They grew closer and closer as the tours continued but he did not want to be a homewrecker so he left the band without telling anyone for a new city, for a fresh start and a new challenge. As he talks, he realizes that he has to tell Kelly about the state of the business and the concert he is planning. Her eyes light up and she is very receptive to the idea. He says that her mother will probably be angry about Abe lying to her for these all these years but Kelly says that he doesn't have to call it a benefit concert. This gives Zeke the confidence to go forward with it.
Zeke tells everyone at the Evans household that he has organised a concert for Louisiana Typewriter. Abe is taken aback by this and asks what for. Zeke says to celebrate its 60th anniversary, of course. Abe thanks his brother for this initiative and asks who will be performing. Zeke says that he has lined up an array of performers, Abe will just have to wait and see. Abe hugs his brother and thanks him for this.
Ted tells Abe that Louisiana Typewriter’s last day is getting closer and closer. It is at this time that Abe tells him about Zeke’s concert idea. They both agree that it will be a good “last hurrah” for the business. Zeke awaits a reply back from Zelda, through Mark, but nothing has come yet. Mark calls Zeke and asks what is happening with Zelda, will she do the concert? We cut Zeke’s side, he has a look on his face that says no but he lies through his teeth and says yes. Mark says that is great news as he looks as happy as ever. He thanks Zeke and looks forward to the concert. All Zeke can do is wait and see if Zelda will show up at the concert.
The day of the concert comes and it turns into a celebration and coming together of the local community and its soul-jazz scene. Multiple artists from Zeke’s past show up and he catches up with them. Meanwhile, Ted and Abe sink in the appreciation they receive for being a neighborhood staple for all of these years. As the artists play, still no Zelda and Mark grows anxious that he was falsely advertising.
Zeke pulls Abe aside and reveals to him his lie about Zelda. Abe’s eyes light up as he comes up with a back-up plan: Zeke go out there and play a set. Zeke hums and haws before telling his brother the truth: there were no anti-busking laws put in place in San Francisco that forced him out of his profession. He had to stop because he feels like his body is starting to slowly betray him. His hands tremble and he feels that makes playing the trumpet impossible. Abe gives his brother a hug and says he will take him to see a specialist to see if something is wrong. In the meantime, Zeke comes up with a counter-plan: Abe is the one who takes the new trumpet and goes out there to play. Just like he wanted to when they were young. Just like he wanted to his whole life. Abe initially says no, with a tear in his eye, saying he hasn’t played in years. Zeke shrugs his shoulders and says no one will really care: this is a benefit concert to keep Louisiana Typewriter alive, anyways. While Abe wants to be mad, he finds himself only able to thank his brother for thinking out for him. He picks up the trumpet and says he’ll play a tune.
Abe takes the stage and thanks everyone for coming out and starts playing a trumpet solo. He thanks his best friend Ted for giving him a job for all these years and his best friend Zeke for organizing this thing. He proceeds to play trumpet solo, a little shaky but the crowd is still enamored. The drummer in the background starts playing, which throws Abe off guard but he continues playing. He is then joined by other musicians playing their instruments. Finally, Zelda Reynolds takes the stage to a rapturous applause. The whole ensemble plays a popular song of hers (“How Long Do I Have to Wait For You”), with Abe improvising on trumpet.
After the song, Zelda thanks Zeke in front of the crowd for inviting her and that he was one of the highlights of her career when it was at its peak. Zeke tips his cap to her, with a smile on. However, Abe whispers something into her ear and she then says that she heard that he used to want to be a singer before becoming a back-up musician. She asks the crowd if they want an encore and they are chanting yes. She invites Zeke up to the stage to sing something. While hesitant, he does and gives a hug to them both on stage.
He proceeds into a soul cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” as a montage begins. Abe takes Zeke to the doctor, where he is diagnosed with early on-set Parkinson’s. He moves in with Abe and Dolly permanently, and Kelly and her family visit more often. Ted and Abe make a strategic decision to us the concert money to extend the life of Louisiana Typewriter by learning new skills so that they can repair more electronics than just typewriters. They also advertise that they are now selling and repairing musical instruments as well. When the first person comes in to have their trumpet looked at, Ted directs the customer to their new third employee and instrument specialist: Ezekiel Evans.
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