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A Journal for Jordan is a 2021 American romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Denzel Washington from a screenplay written by Virgil Williams, based on the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy. The film stars Michael B. Jordan (who also co-produced the film) and Chanté Adams in the lead roles, along with Jalon Christian, Robert Wisdom, and Tamara Tunie in supporting roles.
| A Journal for Jordan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Denzel Washington |
| Screenplay by | Virgil Williams |
| Based on | A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Maryse Alberti[1] |
| Edited by | Hughes Winborne |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 131 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[2] |
| Box office | $6.7 million[3] |
The film was released by Sony Pictures Releasing, through the Columbia Pictures banner, on December 25, 2021. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb.
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Based on a true story, while 1st Sergeant Charles Monroe King is deployed in Iraq, he keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Sharing this journal with her son, his fiancée, Dana Canedy reflects on her unlikely yet powerful romantic relationship with King.[4]
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- Michael B. Jordan as 1st Sergeant Charles Monroe King
- Chanté Adams as Dana Canedy
- Jalon Christian as Jordan
- Robert Wisdom as Sergeant T.J. Canedy
- Tamara Tunie as Penny Canedy
- Jasmine Batchelor as Gwen Canedy
- Marchánt Davis as Mike Canedy
- Susan Pourfar as Miriam
- Cleveland Berto as Mohammed
- Vanessa Aspillga as Robin
- Grey Henson as Ciro
- Johnny M. Wu as Manny
- David Wilson Barnes as Schaefer
- Melanie Nicholls-King as Kaleshia
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In January 2018, it was reported that Denzel Washington would direct the film Journal for Jordan from a script by Virgil Williams based on Dana Canedy's memoir.[5] In February 2019, it was reported that Michael B. Jordan would play the lead role.[6] In October 2020, Chanté Adams was cast in the film.[7] As of December 2020, production had begun.[8][9] In February 2021, Robert Wisdom, Johnny M. Wu, and Jalon Christian joined the cast.[10] In March 2021, Tamara Tunie joined the cast.[11]
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A Journal for Jordan was originally scheduled by Sony Pictures Releasing for a limited theatrical release on December 10, 2021, before going wide on December 22.[12] In October 2021, the film was pushed to a wide theatrical release on December 25, on Christmas Day, without a limited release.[13] The film had its world premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square Theatre on December 9, 2021.[14] The film was released video-on-demand on January 11, 2022 and on Blu-ray and DVD on March 8, 2022.[15]
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Box office
In the United States, A Journal for Jordan was released alongside American Underdog and the wide expansion of Licorice Pizza, and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,500 theaters over its first two days of release.[2] It made $1.2 million on its first day and $1 million on its second, debuting to $2.2 million and finishing eighth at the box office.[16] In its second weekend, the film finished ninth with $1.2 million.[17] The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its third weekend, finishing twelfth with $600,880.[18]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 39% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "A Journal for Jordan's affecting fact-based story stumbles onscreen due to Denzel Washington's undistinguished direction and overly sentimental approach."[19] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[16]
The motion picture had three nominations at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for Jalon Christian's performance.[21]
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