Poetic Justice is a 1993 American romantic drama film written and directed by John Singleton, and starring Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Joe Torry.

She goes on a road trip from South Los Angeles to Oakland on a mail truck, along with her friend (King) and a postal worker (Shakur), in order to deal with depression.

Jackson received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song for "Again", which also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

[4] Justice is a young African American woman living in South Central, Los Angeles, named by her late mother who gave birth to her while attending law school.

After the fatal shooting of her boyfriend Markell, Justice becomes deeply depressed, spending most of her time with her cat named Whiteboy in the house that she inherited from her grandmother, and only going out to her job at a local hair salon.

A talented poet, Justice reads many of her poems (in real life written by Maya Angelou) throughout the film, both to other characters and in voice-over.

The quartet makes a couple of detours: the first is a family reunion barbecue they see signs for on the road, where it becomes apparent (although there were ample hints earlier) that Iesha and Chicago's relationship is troubled.

Upon its release, Poetic Justice received mostly negative reviews[9] with most critics comparing it unfavorably to Singleton's debut film Boyz n the Hood.

The site's consensus states: "Poetic Justice is commendably ambitious and boasts a pair of appealing stars, but they're undermined by writer-director John Singleton's frustrating lack of discipline.

He also stated, "...Poetic Justice unwinds like a road picture from the early 1970s, in which the characters are introduced and then set off on a trip that becomes a journey of discovery.

"[13] Leonard Klady of Variety stated: "Though aiming to create a feel for the locale, Singleton periodically loses sight of audiences unfamiliar with the colorful lingo.

"[14] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a disappointement", but praised Singleton for his skills, and suggested: "A filmmaker who is adept at saying what’s on his mind, he will do better when he finds something he truly wants to say.

"[15] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the film for "wrong turns and right-minded preachiness", but praised the young director saying: "If Singleton, 25, stumbles, it is over ambition and not the complacency of a new Hollywood hotshot riding a trend.

"[16] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote: "Although its aspirations are high, the film works only fitfully when Mr. Singleton exercises his gift for vernacular speech, for finding the comic undertow in otherwise tragic situations, and even for parody.

[18] Richard Schickel of Time panned the film, saying: "What must be said is that the new movie is simply awful: poorly structured, vulgarly written, insipidly directed, monotonously performed.

[21] Bilge Eberi, in his article for Vulture, describes Poetic Justice as a daring and complex film, contrasting it with Boyz n the Hood's more traditional structure.

He praises the performances of Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, particularly highlighting a moment where Justice critiques Lucky’s dirty nails, mixing anger, affection, and confusion.

The film’s tone shifts between comedy, romance, and tragedy, with moments of violence tempered by poetry, embodying the contradictions at its core.

It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 25, 1993.