Lee is a great self-promoter. After all his press releases and all his interviews, we are given films that are sketchy, unfelt and distancing -- incidents in Lee's career, the only drama that really interests him.
Crooklyn (1994)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 19
Rotten:6
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: With CROOKLYN, Spike Lee revisits through the eyes of a young girl the Brooklyn of his youth, resulting in an innocent, touching comedy about one summer in the life of a large family. The only sister in a family full of boys, Troy Carmichael... With CROOKLYN, Spike Lee revisits through the eyes of a young girl the Brooklyn of his youth, resulting in an innocent, touching comedy about one summer in the life of a large family. The only sister in a family full of boys, Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris) has to be strong, smart and quick with her fists if necessary. Although they argue more than they talk, the Carmichaels draw from a deep well of love for one another. Over the course of the summer, Troy weathers her parents' separation and reconciliation (characters played with deep sincerity by Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo), takes a wild visit to her cousin's in Virginia, and must learn to cope with personal tragedy when it strikes. Lee co-scripted the film with siblings Joie and Cinque--who claim that it isn't strictly autobiographical--yet CROOKLYN rings true with a nostalgia and detail that makes it feel like a home movie. Flexing his technical skills, Lee shot all of the Virginia scenes with a distorted lens to reflect Troy's confusion with her new surroundings. Featuring an onslaught of 1970s pop culture references and a seemingly endless pop music soundtrack, CROOKLYN yet remains a universal viewing experience. [More]
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris, Spike Lee, Joie Lee, RuPaul, Jose Zuniga, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Bokeem Woodbine, Pee Wee Love, Dan Grimaldi, Rene Ojeda
Director: Spike Lee
Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Spike Lee
Screenwriter: Cinque Lee, Joie Lee, Spike Lee
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Get This Movie
Release:
Feb 23, 1999
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Letterbox - 1.85
- Single Side - Single Layer
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
- Film Clips/Highlights
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Production Notes
- Biographies - 1. Cast & Crew
DVD-ROM Features:
- Web Links
Reviews for Crooklyn
While Lee fails to impose sufficient structure on his material, expertly drawn performances help vividly to evoke the family and street life of an era untroubled by crack or drive-by shootings.
It's not Lee's most challenging work, but it's certainly amongst his most charming.
The key problem is that the film is simply a ragged series of anecdotal sketches.
Loosely based on Spike Lee's growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, the casual, warm, apolitical (for Lee) script took a life of its own during the development process.
Um dos melhores trabalhos de Spike Lee, este filme foi solenemente ignorado pela Academia – uma mancha que o Oscar carregará para sempre em seu histórico.
Uneven Lee film -- and the reel printed in uncorrected 'scope is a really bad idea.
It's the first Spike Lee film with the potential to be turned into a television show. More important, it's the first one to display real warmth of heart.
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