Jeri Jacquin
Coming to Bluray and Digital from director Denzel Washington and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the true story about A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.
Dana Canedy (Chante Adams) comes home to visit her dad Sgt. T.J. Canedy (Robert Wisdom), mom Penny Canedy (Tamara Tunie), sister Gwen (Jasmine Batchelor) and brother Mike (Marchant Davis). While there, she meets 1st Sgt. Charles King (Michael B. Jordan), a man dedicated to his military service and friend of Sgt. Canedy.
Acting as if she is not interested, it becomes clear over a few days that King is someone that Dana wants to know more about. Going back to her job in New York at The New York Times, she and King continue their talks on the telephone until he is finally able to visit Dana. Taking King around the city to see all the sites, it is obvious that there is more to their feelings.
As their relationship deepens, King returns to Dana every chance he gets and the two see that their lives are meant to be together. When 9/11 happens, Dana knows that there is a real chance that King will be deployed. King wants to marry right away but Dana wants to hold off and have a real wedding knowing that’s what she really wants.
But those plans are put a bit on hold when Dana tells King that she is pregnant with their son Jordan. King is beside himself with happiness and takes every moment on his leave home to spend time with the family he loves. Returning to the war and only weeks away from coming home for good, things take a turn.
As Jordan grows, it becomes for Dana to share a journal with her son and in return, Jordan (Jalon Christian) helps his mother find peace in her own life.
Adams as Dana is a feisty character of a woman who knows what she wants, or at least she thinks she does when it comes to love. She makes her needs clear from the beginning with King and has no problem voicing her displeasure when things are not as she wishes them to be. The worse thing in anyone’s life is death of a loved one and as Dana tells her story, it is clear she has not dealt with it until her son brings her to that point.
Jordan as King is the yin to Dana’s yang in that she expresses everything outwardly and King is a calmer person because he trusts in himself. He also makes it clear what he is looking for in their relationship and where he has come from in other relationships. I liked that about his character and Jordan gave King grace and dedication to Dana and to military service.
Christian as Jordan is so lovely, understanding, gentle and comes to know his father in a way that many never have a chance to. It is also easy to see that Jordan is so much like his father in the calm way he talks and reasons. Such a lovely young actor to give so much to a very sensitive role.
Other cast include Susan Pourfar as Miriam, David Wilson Barnes as Schaefer, Melanie Nicholls-King as Kaleshia, Vanessa Aspillga as Robin, Grey Henson as Ciro, Johnny M. Wu as Manny.
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Special Features include Deleted Scenes, Family Portrait: Making the Film, Heart and Soul: Charles and Dana, Words of Wisdom: The Journal and Gag Reel.
A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN is based on the book A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy. Virgil Williams wrote the screenplay from the book as Denzel Washington also co-produced the film along with Michael B. Jordan.
This film is deeply moving, powerful and a lesson in love and the written word. Just knowing that King took the time to write things to his son is in itself amazing, but it is what he writes to his son that is stunning. Words to help a young man live by and find in himself as he grows, A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN lets us in to experience it all.
It is a love story between Dana and King that is sweet but also a learning curve as she never wanted to be with someone in the military because of her own father. What a shock it must have come to Dana to find herself falling in love with such an honorable young man who was definetly meant for her.
I enjoyed both Adams and Jordan’s performance on so many levels and found myself laughing, smiling and crying as they share the story of the King family.
In the end – it is a love beyond words!
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