The movie also stars Anthony Criss, Eddie Griffin, Suzzanne Douglas, Lisa Nicole Carson, Forest Whitaker, Lahmard J Tate, and Rushion Mc Donald.
It was released on September 28, 1994.
Tropes for the film:
- Accidental Murder:
- Jason fatally shot his abusive father, Mad Dog, when he intended to stop his old man from potentially killing his mom, Gloria. Thus leaving him a lifetime haunting guilt which becomes a major problem that gets in the way of his relationship with Lyric, besides his brother, Joshua, that is.
- Later in the climax, while in the middle of a heated argument, Joshua shoots Lyric in the shoulder until she's knocked unconscious. Joshua claims that he didn't mean to actually kill her, he just wanted to use her as a bait to lure Alonzo, his former accomplice and Lyric's brother. Thankfully, Lyric miraculously survives.
- Alliterative Family: The two brothers' names are Jason and Joshua.
- Animal Metaphor: When the titular characters travel to the bayou, two swans are seen on the lake nearby. Not long after the close-up of the two swans, Jason and Lyric start kissing, followed by making passionate love. A swan is widely known as a symbol of love in that it represents a couple who have just found love in each other.
- Beta Couple: Lyric's older brother, Alonzo "A-1", and her co-worker as well as best friend, Marti, are the beta to Jason and Lyric's alpha.
- Big Brother Instinct: Jason spends his youth looking out for his troubled younger brother, Joshua (despite his awareness that Joshua is taking advantage of his good heart). When he knows that Joshua would always need him, he almost gives up his chance to be with Lyric. Eventually though, Jason gives up on Joshua when he finds out that his brother has become insufferably unbearable and self-serving to the point of almost endangering his girlfriend's life that he chooses to walk away from him and moves on with her.
- Big Heroic Run: By the time his friend, Rat, informs him that his brother, Joshua, is going to kill his girlfriend, Lyric, and her brother, Alonzo, Jason immediately rushes to her house. After their car is stopped by an oncoming train, Jason decides to get out of his car, run across the tracks in front of the speeding train and race up to save her. Despite Joshua (accidentally) shooting Lyric, she luckily survives after Jason immediately takes her to the ambulance.
- Birds of a Feather: Jason and Lyric have a lot in common; having a toxic/troubled sibling and dreams to run away for a better life. Though Lyric has always been aware of what she has always wanted, and on the contrary it takes a while for Jason to realize his deepest desire to be free and happy.
- Book Ends: Begins and ends with Jason riding on a bus and wearing an orange shirt, only with a difference; in the beginning he rides alone, in the end he rides with Lyric by his side.
- Bridal Carry: Jason tearfully carries the injured and unconscious Lyric outside of her home and takes her to the ambulance after Joshua (accidentally) shot her.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Jason often wears between blue or orange; signifying his gentle-but-tough demeanor. Lyric often wears white; reflecting her innocence, dreamy and nurturing traits.
- Conflicting Loyalty: The primary theme. Jason is The Dutiful Son who used to be a breadwinner to his family following his father's murder and vows to prioritize their well-beings above his, particularly his troubled younger brother, Joshua. However, when he finds love in Lyric, he starts to feel torn between his family or his wish to be with her. Upon learning how far Joshua is willing to go, he eventually leaves his brother for good and chooses to be with Lyric.
- Contrived Coincidence: On their first meeting, after buying a TV from Jason's workplace and Jason asks her out, Lyric says to him, "if it's meant to be, you'll find me". Later, when looking for a restaurant for dinner, Jason and his friend happen to choose Lyric's workplace. Cue, Jason sees her again, pursues her and convinces her that they are meant to be.
- Dance of Romance: The titular characters slow dance after having a mock picnic in an abandoned bus station followed by a twirl hug.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Lyric initially rejected Jason's attempts to get close to her before eventually warms up to him and returns his feelings.Jason: Beautiful night, ain't it?
Lyric: (Rolling her eyes) Magical.
Jason: Damn, you're cold! Were you always this difficult?
Lyric: Can't you find somebody else to harass?
Jason: Harass? I thought I was being charming.
Lyric: Wrong! - Desk Sweep of Passion: In the second sex scene in the electronic shop, Jason is seen sweeping off everything from the counter to put Lyric on and consummate their passion.
- Does Not Like Men: Lyric was initially hinted to dislike men. Understandable, since she grew up in a ghetto life with a gangster older brother, Alonzo "A-1". She even mistakes Jason's attempt to charm her as harassment before she eventually warms up to him.
- Driven to Suicide: The Jerkass younger brother, Joshua, is used to relying on his older brother, Jason, for almost everything (including avoiding the consequences of his wrongdoings) and grows jealous when finding out Jason's plan to move away with Lyric. So much so that he ends up shooting himself upon watching his dear older brother finally walking away from him for good (after putting up with him for so many years) and choosing to save his girlfriend after Joshua (accidentally) shot her.
- Earn Your Happy Ending / Moving-Away Ending: Jason has gone through a lot since childhood; growing up in a violent ghetto neighborhood, witnessing his used-to-be-loving father turned abusive toward them, especially his mother, that results in him killing his old man to protect her. As an adult, he spends his youth looking out for his family, particularly putting up with his troubled younger brother, Joshua. His girlfriend, Lyric, has a similar story; growing up with a gangster older brother, Alonzo "A-1", and no parents, prompting her to dream of an escape as she longs for a peaceful life. Ultimately, when Joshua (accidentally) shoots Lyric out of jealousy in the climax, Jason finally brings himself to turn his back on his brother and chooses to save her, after feeling torn between his love for his family or his girlfriend for so long. In the end, after earning his mom's blessing for his wish to be together with Lyric and leave his past behind, Jason and Lyric eventually gain their mutual wish; riding on a bus together to escape town and start a new life.
- Empathic Environment: The infamous sex scene. When the titular characters start having sex in the bayou, they roll over on a grassy ground. As they're getting intense, the ground magically turns into a flower field; reflecting their blooming love and unbridled passion (before it turns back to grassy again, while they keep going until the sun sets).
- Epunymous Title: About a man named Jason who falls in love with a woman named Lyric.
- Falling-in-Love Montage: The titular characters' romantic dates montage are; having a mock picnic followed by slow dancing and a twirl hug in an abandoned bus station, traveling to a secluded bayou; piggyback riding, rowing a rowboat, and savoring their newly found love until they end up having passionate sex in the woods that magically turns into a flower field. And later, they go on a date in the carnival.
- Finger Muzzle: Upon bringing Lyric home after hanging out together, Jason asks Lyric when can he see her again. She immediately shut him up by doing this to him and challenges him to surprise her.
- Flash Back Nightmare: Jason constantly has flashbacks of the night he fatally shot his Abusive Dad, when he intended to stop the man from potentially killing him and his mother. This causes him to put up with his troubled younger brother, Joshua, for years as he feels guilty for making Joshua witness his dad's murder with his very own eyes. Thus, this nightmare also becomes a major problem that gets in the way of his relationship with Lyric.
- Flipping the Table: When Joshua makes dinner and his mom refuses to eat because it's bought with drug money, he furiously flips the dining table.
- Flowers of Romance: Jason buys a rose bouquet randomly from strangers and gives it to Lyric when he follows her home.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling / Sibling Yin-Yang: It's the main plot point, besides the love story. Jason is the serious, responsible and dutiful son, while Joshua is the short-tempered and troublemaker son to their mom, Gloria.
- Good Is Not Soft: The main character, Jason, is basically a good man and very protective toward his family. But when his troublemaker younger brother, Joshua, drunkenly harasses his girlfriend, Lyric, he doesn't hesitate to punch him. Later, Jason also dares to get into a vicious fight with Lyric's gangster brother, Alonzo "A-1", as a revenge for having tortured Joshua.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: Jason intends to win Lyric's heart by taking her on a date, borrowing a city bus for themselves and setting up a mock picnic in an abandoned bus station. Later, he takes her to a secluded bayou before eventually kissing and making love to her in the woods.
- Heroic BSoD: Jason blames himself for accidentally killing his father that he keeps protecting his troubled brother, Joshua (despite his awareness that his brother is always taking him for granted), at the expense of his happiness with Lyric, out of fear of losing another family member. Later, when Lyric convinces him that it wasn't his fault and he earns his mom's blessing for his wish to be with Lyric, he eventually come to terms with his past and chooses to leave Joshua for good to start a better life with Lyric.
- Humble Goal: All Lyric wants is to run away to any place where she can have a peaceful life.
- If I Can't Have You…: Non-romantic example. Joshua is so used to always relying on his older brother, Jason, in almost everything (including avoiding the consequences of his wrongdoings) that he grows jealous upon finding out Jason wants to move away with his girlfriend, Lyric. Disgruntled, Joshua nearly kills Lyric (despite his real target being her older brother, Alonzo) in order to keep Jason from leaving him. Nevertheless, his mission fails as Jason finally chooses Lyric over him, albeit his plea.
- Ignore the Fanservice: When entering the restaurant where Lyric works at, Lyric's vain co-worker with a heaving buxom, Marti, welcomes Jason and his friend, Rat, in a seductive manner. But Jason is oblivious as he is immediately distracted by Lyric's beauty.
- It's All My Fault: Jason spends almost the entire film blaming himself for accidentally murdering his abusive father and feels responsible for indirectly causing his brother, Joshua, to grow up into a volatile and criminal-minded man as the latter watched his father die at his brother's hand. Jason even almost unwillingly gives up on Lyric, out of misguided brotherly/familial love. But after Lyric convinces him that it wasn't all his fault and his mom gives her blessing for their relationship, Jason decides to leave his past behind and moves on with his girlfriend.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: Jason confronts and gets into a vicious fight with his girlfriend Lyric's brother, Alonzo "A-1", upon learning the latter savagely tortured his younger brother, Joshua, for messing up a Bank Robbery.
- Like Father, Like Son: Jason's younger brother, Joshua, turns out to be just like their deceased father, Mad Dog; volatile, alcoholic and bound for a violent end.
- Love at First Sight: Jason is instantly smitten with Lyric from the moment he sees her at their first meeting. On the contrary, it takes a while for her to realize his sincerity.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: The titular characters, Jason and Lyric, have sex in the woods that magically turns into a flower field. Later, they have sex again on the counter in Jason's workplace and reconcile after a brief argument.
- Manly Tears:
- Jason bursts into tears when he opens up to Lyric about his tragic past: he accidentally killed his abusive dad, Mad Dog, which explains why he feels obligated to his family (particularly his troubled brother, Joshua) and almost gives up their relationship. Later, he cries again while watching his family pictures through the slide projector, in memory of his dad.
- In the climax, Jason breaks into sobs upon watching in horror as his girlfriend is shot (by accident) by his own younger brother. He weeps over Lyric's unconscious body while reminding her about their plan to escape town together, then carries her injured body outside, albeit Joshua's apology and plea to not give up on him.
- Monochrome Casting: All of the film casts are Black, including the figures in the background.
- Mood Whiplash: The beginning is about a broken family and its impacts. Second, it shifts the focus to the romance of the titular characters. Near the end, it becomes frightening with crime and violence.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Joshua is genuinely shocked after he almost fatally shoots Jason's girlfriend, Lyric, despite initially attempting to do so to prevent his brother from leaving him. To rub salt into his wound, this becomes the last straw that eventually makes Jason no longer care about him, and he instead chooses to save his girlfriend and walk out on Joshua for good.
- My Greatest Failure: Jason spent all his life blaming himself for accidentally killing his father, prompting him to keep protecting and saving his troubled criminal brother, Joshua, and almost sacrifice his happiness with Lyric. But in the end, he chooses his girlfriend over his brother after she almost dies at Joshua's hand (by accident) and he earns his mom's blessing for their relationship.
- Please Wake Up: After his girlfriend, Lyric, is rendered unconscious after being (accidentally) shot by his brother, Jason tearfully pleads her to stay strong by reminding her about their plan to escape town together (after he initially called it off, out of brotherly love). Thankfully, Lyric miraculously survives as she and Jason are seen riding on a bus together in the end.Jason: Lyric... Lyric... I'm ready to go... Come on, you need to get up... You gotta get up 'cause we gotta go. Come on.
- Police Are Useless: In This Is It restaurant scene, the guard standing by the door doesn’t do anything when Alonzo makes a mess by throwing trays of food.
- Serious Business: While planning a Bank Robbery, Joshua boasts that robbery is like going shopping. Then his chief accomplice, Alonzo "A-1", immediately points his gun to Joshua's temple, warning him to not underestimate it. As later seen, when Joshua botches the plan due to coming late, Alonzo "A-1" and his accomplice viciously torture Joshua.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Lyric initially seems to believe that all men are jerks like her gangster older brother, Alonzo "A-1", until she eventually falls for the good guy, Jason.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: The movie was supposed to focus more on the title characters' love story. However, the two brothers' complicated relationship compellingly dominates the plot.
- Stalking is Love: Jason follows Lyric from the restaurant where she works at to her home, because he's determined to get to know more about her.
- Tears of Fear: In the climax, Lyric breaks down into tears when she's cornered and held at gunpoint by Jason's Jerkass younger brother, Joshua.
- Trauma Conga Line: Jason witnessed his used-to-be-loving father, Mad Dog, turn abusive after coming home from Vietnam as a traumatized veteran having lost his leg. Later, he accidentally killed Mad Dog when trying to stop his old man from potentially killing him and his mother. In adulthood, his younger brother, Joshua, becomes volatile and criminal-minded, but Jason has to put up with him as he feels guilty for killing their dad in front of Joshua and wants to look out for him. When he could finally bring himself to walk away from Joshua for good while carrying the unconscious Lyric to safety after his brother shot her out of jealousy, Joshua decides to shoot himself out of despair. Thus, Jason must lose another family member to a gunshot.
- Troubled Backstory Flashback: Jason is still haunted by the nightmares of the night his father was shot dead, as he also recalls the times when his father used to be a loving father and husband before turning abusive after coming home from the Vietnam War as a Shell-Shocked Veteran. Later, it is revealed that it was Jason himself who accidentally shot him when he tried to stop his father from potentially killing him, his mother, and his brother when the man came home drunk and attacked them.
- Twirl of Love: Jason twirls Lyric while slow dancing on their first date in an abandoned bus station and later, on their second date in the bayou.
- Uptight Loves Wild: Jason is a responsible man who's spent his youth taking care of his family following his father's death that he was thought to be too busy to enjoy life or even just relax until he meets and falls in love with the free-spirited and dreamy-yet-adventurous Lyric. Lyric teaches him that life is more than just taking care of a Dysfunctional Family and reminds him about his own right to be happy and free, while Jason persistently proves to her that not all men are jerks.
