Mo’ Better Blues (1990)

While not without its tragedies, this is a jazz film that doesn’t settle on the standard tropes of destruction and downward spiraling due to drugs and alcohol. Instead, we have Denzel Washington, all ego and sex, caught between two women, and pushed early toward a career as a jazz musician. There’s a clash between him and Wesley Snipes for control of their band and the affections of at least one of those women. Worse for him still is the burden of friend, manager, and iterant gambler Spike Lee. Even with those obstacles, Denzel manages to come to terms with the direction his life has led him. While not one of his most well-known films, it has an evocative neon-colored jazzy atmosphere throughout and features enough flairs to make it a recognizable Lee film.