Celebrating 21 Years Since the Release of ‘Love Jones’

“Let me tell you somethin’. This here, right now, at this very moment, is all that matters to me. I love you. That’s urgent like a motherf**ker.”

Its been 21 years since the March 14, 1997 release of Theodore Witcher’s Love Jones, a modern day love story set in Chicago about a poet, Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) and a photographer, Nina Mosley (Nia Long). While it’s a film that symbolizes black love, during the romantic tale, the pair go through an ongoing whirlwind of emotions. Their relationship is complicated. It’s filled with so many peaks and valleys, that just when you thought they wouldn’t get it right, Darius and Nina finally do.

The two lovers experience love and heartbreak, but they still find their way back to one another. Turns out “just kickin’ it” as Darius calls it, is a actually a “love thing,” it’s fate. A beautiful story backed by an amazing soundtrack, which landed at No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1997, features incredible tracks like “The Sweetest Thing” by Refugee Camp All-Stars featuring Lauryn Hill, “Hopeless” by Dionne Farris, and “Sumthin’ Sumthin'” by Maxwell.

Love Jones is a cult classic that puts black romance at the forefront. Check out a clip from the movie down below, and celebrate the film by watching it today.