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MOVIES / ON DVD / BROOKLYN RULES
Brooklyn Rules

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Brooklyn Rules (2007)

49%
36%
63%
N/A
N/A
N/A
49 %
Reviews Counted: 37 Fresh: 18  Rotten:19 Average Rating: 5.6/10
 
Consensus: Brooklyn Rules’ premise is old hat now, but strong performances from Alec Baldwin and the supporting cast are reasons enough to watch.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Theatrical Release: 2007-05

Box Office: $241,925

Synopsis: Written by three-time Emmy winner Terence Winter (The Sopranos), Brooklyn Rules is a powerful story of loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. Set in Brooklyn circa 1985 against the backdrop of John Gotti's rise to power, the film revolves around three lifelong friends whose different... Written by three-time Emmy winner Terence Winter (The Sopranos), Brooklyn Rules is a powerful story of loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. Set in Brooklyn circa 1985 against the backdrop of John Gotti's rise to power, the film revolves around three lifelong friends whose different ambitions threaten to shake their enduring bond. Michael (FREDDIE PRINZE JR.), the narrator, is a lovable charmer with the soul of a con man who successfully scams his way into the pre-law program at Columbia University. In contrast to Michael's desire to leave the Brooklyn streets behind, his close friend Carmine (SCOTT CAAN), a handsome lady-killer enamored by the Mafia lifestyle, wants nothing more than to stay there. Rounding out the trio is Bobby (Entourage's JERRY FERRARA), an endearing cheapskate who longs for a simple life of working at the Post Office and settling down with his fiancée. While at Columbia, Michael falls for a beautiful young student named Ellen (MENA SUVARI), a society girl whom he initially wins over with his preppy schoolboy cover. As their relationship blossoms, leaving the streets behind seems increasingly possible, but when Carmine catches the eye of Caesar (ALEC BALDWIN), a feared mobster who controls their Brooklyn neighborhood, Michael and Bobby are drawn into that world despite their reluctance to get involved. Brooklyn Rules comes down to the choices faced by three young men when the right path is not always the easiest to follow, and when being a loyal friend can mean making the ultimate sacrifice. --© City Lights Pictures [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze, Scott Caan, Jerry Ferrara, Mena Suvari

Director: Michael Corrente
Screenwriter: Terence Winter
Producer: Michael Corrente, Richard B. Lewis, Marisa Polvino
Composer: Benny Rietveld

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 18, 2007

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolbly Digital Surround 5.1 - English

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Ratings Image
N/A

Top cast delivers terrific characterisations, with all three leads showing deep talents, as does Mena Suvari in a small and thankless but important role.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/21/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Ratings Image
2/5

a fuzzy film sporting more bad Brooklyn accents and mob-movie cliches than Knockaround Guys which, all things considered, is hard to do.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/18/07
Marlow Stern
Manhattan Movie Magazine
Ratings Image
N/A

A sometimes funny, occasionally maudlin coming-of-age dramedy that wants to be Goodfellas but might have been called Mild in the Streets.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/22/07
John Anderson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
2/6

Aggressively derivative.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/22/07
Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York
Ratings Image
2.5/5

However authentic and heartfelt this film’s depiction of life on the meaner streets of the Northeast corridor may be, it doesn’t begin to match The Sopranos' epic vision of violence, class struggle and upward mobility in a barbarous culture.

comment Comment
09/22/07
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
2.5/5

Whether it's read as an exclamation of borough pride or as a set of unwritten laws governing its residents, the movie takes a well-trodden path in chronicling the lives of three Italian American friends, circa 1985.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/20/07
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
2.5/5

If we were playing by mob rules, this movie would get the 'slicer' treatment for trying to impersonate a Scorsese picture.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/03/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Ratings Image
.5/5

Absolutely nothing to recommend the film as anything other than a sagging collection of predictable clichés and brain-numbing boredom.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/01/07
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
N/R

Brooklyn Rules doesn't exactly rule, but fans of the cast will find much to enjoy.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/13/07
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
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3.5/4

Capturing Manhattan's essence is easy. But capturing life inside provincial New York City -- is something that eludes most filmmakers...And now add Brooklyn Rules to the short list of movies that get it right.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/13/07
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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Ratings Image
N/A

Against all odds, it remains surprisingly watchable.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/13/07
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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Ratings Image
2/4

...Winter's coming-of-age-in-the-1980s saga is content to rewalk the same mean streets, never ducking into one alley or back room we haven't visited.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/13/07
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
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Ratings Image
2/4

Singularly unoriginal, full of clichés and tough-neighborhood set pieces tied together with GoodFellas-style voice-over narration.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/12/07
Cathy Jakicic
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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2.5/5

Brooklyn Rules is a watchable flick but it's also tired and derivative, which is a shame given the talent involved.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/22/07
Brian Linder
IGN Movies
Ratings Image
N/A

Ah, the nostalgic mob drama. No matter the brutality, the blood, or the sheer fear that shape the memory, movies and TV tend to make life in the mob a growth experience.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/30/07
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
Ratings Image
C+

Years after Federal Hill (1994), director Michael Corrente is still doing low-budget Mean Streets knockoffs.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/30/07
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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2.5/5

Although yet another set-in-the-80's coming of age film, it's a familiar but affecting story.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/21/07
Pete Hammond
Maxim
Ratings Image
N/A

It all remains as charming and likable as the mutt that Bobby adopts, and the genuine New York locations sure beat Toronto.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/21/07
Frank Lovece
Film Journal International
Ratings Image
N/A

Brooklyn Rules has enough heart and personality to freshen what could easily be construed as stale cannoli.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/19/07
Michelle Orange
Reeler
Ratings Image
2.5/4

Director Michael Corrente and screenwriter Terence Winter don't miss a cliché, but they spin them smartly.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/18/07
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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REEL_REVIEWER
(2007 release)-BROOKLYN RULES cops mixed reviews, but scores with crime genre fans!!!
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REEL_REVIEWER
(2007 release)-BROOKLYN RULES cops mixed reviews, but scores with crime genre fans!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/30/07


REEL_REVIEWER
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Brooklyn Rules
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