Blue Like Jazz

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.” — Donald Miller, "Blue Like Jazz"

A couple years ago, when I attended the Catalyst West Coast Conference, my eyes were opened to a voice that resonated with my own passions. That voice belonged to Donald Miller. Prior to that conference, I didn't know who he was or what he wrote. But during the 45 minutes he spoke, I found someone that gave voice to ideas that resonated with me. He was someone who had similar interests and passions, and someone who looked at the world in a way I identified with.

I bought one of his books at that conference, and I read it in a couple days. Then I got his seminal book, "Blue Like Jazz," and similarly devoured it. I am someone who is drawn to ideas, drawn to debates, and drawn to the idea of analyzing the Christian faith and the world around us in a practical way. I like to think Jesus is about engaging and reforming the culture, and I think Miller is interested in that too.

What makes "Blue Like Jazz" compelling is that it is a collection of personal stories that show how one man tries to make sense of life, culture, and the Gospel. It is real and relatable. And when I found out that book was to become a movie, I was excited.

But then I couldn't help but wonder how a book like "Blue Like Jazz" could be translated into the typical narrative structure.

After years of development, and a campaign that allowed fans of Miller's writing to help finance the project, "Blue Like Jazz" the movie was released in a handful of theaters in April. Slowly it has been opening wider, and finally came to San Luis Obispo County last week. Excited at the prospect, I made the trek to San Luis Obispo on Saturday to see the film; to see how it all worked out.

What I found was unexpected.

I think the best description of the movie is that it feels like it fills in the real-time gaps between Miller's youth and the period where he started writing the book. It feels like a natural prologue to where his journey begins in the book. It's a somewhat interesting film, and it has a naturalistic faith message, but for me, it fails to capture what I love best about his writing.

I love that quote from Miller that starts this post. It's the quote that starts his book too. It gives you a sense of the man, his style, and the journey you're about to start. The movie "Blue Like Jazz" takes place in the last sentence, "But that was before any of this happened." Doubtless the film tells a story Miller felt was important (he co-wrote the screenplay), and doubtless it serves as a bit of an evangelical piece, but it fails to capture what I think of as the heart of his beautiful books.

As so often happens to me, if I read the book first, the movie can't compare. If I see the movie then read the book, I can appreciate both as independent artistic expressions. That is what you have to do with "Blue Like Jazz." The book is a beautiful musing on faith, life, and culture. The movie is an effective exploration of a faith journey. Both have their place, but neither is a pure reflection of the other.