Love Jones

Why didn't this charming romantic comedy — a Waiting to Exhale minus its star power about two hip, young professionals (Menace II Society's Larenz Tate and Boyz 'N the Hood's Nia Long) who reluctantly fall in love — woo more moviegoers? Perhaps this simple, spicy twentysomething romance (suffering only from a sometime-meandering plot and underdeveloped secondary players) was too unfamiliar to audiences primarily accustomed to seeing all-black casts in Spike Lee commentaries, gritty gang dramas, and raucous Booty Call comedies. But with its clever dialogue and sophisticated characters, there's something exhilarating in Love Jones' breath of fresh air. B