It’s the year 2007, and Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) is a single mother with a 1-year-old son named Jordan, and a journalist for The New York Times, who sometimes struggles to get her boss to take her seriously. Dana has been grieving over the loss of the love of her life, soldier Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan), while also trying to raise their son alone. Shortly after Jordan was born, Charles began writing what would become a 200-page journal of life lessons for his son, should Charles not return from war and be able to watch his son grow up. Now Dana reads passages from the journal aloud to soothe her crying baby. Inspired by Charles’ writing, Dana has also started writing a journal of her own for Jordan, to let him know about the man his father was. Writing this journal also helps Dana with her grieving process.
A Journal for Jordan is based on the real Dana Canedy’s New York Times best selling novel of the same name, and the movie primarily tells the story of how Dana and Charles met and fell in love. The film initially jumps back to 1998, as a recently-single Dana heads back home for the weekend for a family birthday celebration. At the moment, Dana certainly wasn’t looking for love, telling her friends “men are luxuries not necessities”, but when Dana meets First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, it’s love at first site. Charles is a genuine nice guy and an aspiring artist. Dana’s father was Charles’ Army drill sergeant, and Charles had since become a friend of the family. He’s currently going through a divorce, and Dana’s parents have been helping out, becoming like surrogate parents to him. While Charles and Dana both feel an instant connection, Dana wants to pursue journalism in New York City, while Charles has a loyalty to his military career. So the two decide to try to make a long distance relationship work, talking regularly on the phone, and meeting up in person when time and money permits. The film follows this journey of their love through the next 8 years of ups and downs in their relationship, while also occasionally jumping back to the present as Dana writes in her journal, and tells her rapidly-growing son about his father.
While the film is called “A Journal For Jordan”, the physical journal itself doesn’t play a huge role until the final act. We are primarily seeing the contents of the journal play out in the past as we witness Charles and Dana fall in love, overcome obstacles in their relationship, and deal with the harsh realities of war. At the core of the film is a heartwarming, believable and ultimately heart-wrenching love story. Stars Chanté Adams and Michael B. Jordan have great, palpable chemistry with one another, making the love between Dana and Charles feel genuine and true. Despite knowing the outcome of their relationship within the first 10 minutes of the film, you still find yourself invested and rooting for them, which only makes the ending that much more devastating. It takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions as you watch the blossoming relationship play out between these two. Much of the movie is just these two actors, and often just Chanté Adams, who gives a really strong performance—her portrayal of Dana getting the news about Charles is so emotionally heartbreaking and brutal to watch.
Sony’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture is very clean, with a remarkable level of detail in faces and textures. The colors are bright and beautiful, showcasing the picturesque New York City skyline. Dialogue remains clear throughout, and the audio track makes excellent use of the surround and stereo channels to make the film feel more immersive—whether it’s the ambient sounds of the city or a blustering storm, or helicopters overhead and explosions when Charles is away at war.
The Blu-ray disc contains about 30 minutes of Q&As with the cast and filmmakers, as well as 7 deleted scenes and a gag reel. The disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase without a slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:11:23)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2:39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Descriptive Service, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
- HD digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Heart and Soul: Charles and Dana (11:32)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the relationship between the real Charles and Dana, portraying this on the screen, casting the film, the chemistry between the actors, the rehearsal process, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer Dana Canedy, director/producer Denzel Washington, and stars Michael B. Jordan (“Charles Monroe King”/producer) & Chanté Adams (“Dana Canedy”). - Family Portrait: Making the Film (10:42)
The cast and filmmakers discuss how the story first came about, getting Denzel Washington involved, filming on the military base, casting the roles, filming in New York at the real locations, the takeaways from the book and film, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer Dana Canedy, director/producer Denzel Washington, production designer Sharon Seymour, and stars Michael B. Jordan & Chanté Adams. - Words of Wisdom: The Journal (7:12)
Writer Dana Canedy and stars Michael B. Jordan & Chanté Adams discuss and share passages from the original journal, talk about interacting with the real items belonging to Charles, and more. - Deleted Scenes (6:38)
7 deleted scenes play back-to-back. - Gag Reel (3:04)
Fun with the cast as they flub their lines, make each other laugh, and try to calm a crying baby. - Previews (5:01)
Trailers for A Mouthful of Air, Death of a Telemarketer, and Nine Days play back-to-back.
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Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
A Journal For Jordan tells the beautiful but tragic true life love story between New York Times journalist Dana Canedy and soldier Charles Monroe King, featuring strong, emotional performances from Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams. Sony’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a solid selection of fun and entertaining bonus material. This is a solid release for fans of the film, and comes recommended for anyone looking for an emotional love story.
