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Movies / On DVD / Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam

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Summer of Sam (1999)

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Reviews Counted:96

Fresh:48

Rotten:48

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Spike Lee offers intense visuals but his storytelling feels crowded and overambitious.

Runtime: 2 hrs 22 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: SUMMER OF SAM, Spike Lee's sizzling interpretation of the summer of 1977 in New York City, when thermometers shattered and a serial killer terrorized the city, focuses on an Italian-American... SUMMER OF SAM, Spike Lee's sizzling interpretation of the summer of 1977 in New York City, when thermometers shattered and a serial killer terrorized the city, focuses on an Italian-American community in the Bronx--specifically, Dionna (Mira Sorvino) and Vinny (John Leguizamo), a couple whose marriage is threatened by Vinny's obsession with other women. After Vinny returns home one night to find a killer has murdered two local women, he promises to mend his cheating ways, albeit unsuccessfully. As the media exploits the murders and a blackout threatens to unleash anarchy on the city, its inhabitants begin to look for a scapegoat who will release them from the reign of terror created by the chilling figure known only as the Son of Sam (Michael Badalucco). Lee's ambitious film does more than re-create the events that unfolded during the summer of 1977; in addition to being an entertaining time capsule, it also deals graphically with the concept of the mob mentality. [More]

Starring: John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito

Starring: John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Badalucco, Bebe Neuwirth, Patti LuPone, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Gazzara, John Savage, Jimmy Breslin, Spike Lee, Mark Breland, Evander Holyfield

Director: Spike Lee

Director: Spike Lee
Screenwriter: Michael Imperioli, Victor Colicchio, Spike Lee
Producer: Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Composer: Terence Blanchard

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 21, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Summer of Sam

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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A big cartoon!

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

This ultimately disappoints, but it is good to see Lee branch out into subjects which don't immediately lend themselves to his single-minded politicizing.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/23/08
Channel 4 Film
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/18/08
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Summer of Sam is a confused, jumbled movie!

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
01/01/00
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

This is trashy exploitation at its clumsiest. Once more, a Spike Lee movie has been undone by the earnestness of being important.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

t's loud, long and interesting, yet it also feels cold and distant.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Spike Lee's new film chronicles this event and the ways it touched a community through its violence and intolerance. It's Lee's most vibrant work yet, and it carefully explores each and every downfall Lee holds as a director.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
rec.arts.movies.reviews

This movie is constantly in motion, spinning from one level of the story to another.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Spike Lee, one of the most consistently visionary American filmmakers, makes a sprawling mess out of the summer of 1977.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

Spike Lee's latest joint, like much of his recent work, is an epic exercise in tedium.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

A sprawling wasteland of inflammatory tabloid moviemaking, it's more white-hot and frenetic and honestly emotional than any other movie this year.

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine

The world of the movie is so violent, drug addled, and unattractive that we were left somewhat aghast.

Full Review Source: CinemaSense.Com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cornell & Petricelli
Cornell & Petricelli
CinemaSense.Com

Bravely weird, it shows sex and violence exploding, without explanation or definition, at a time when people felt out of control, simultaneously seduced and menaced. These complications make it a troubling, unforgettable experience.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Nitrate Online

A smooth ride down a dead end street.

Full Review Source: Cinemonkey | comment Comment
01/01/00
D.K. Holm
D.K. Holm
Cinemonkey

I'm not one of the many admirers of Spike Lee's work, but his emphasis on small details and the depiction of a tensely-approached summer is obvious evidence of his growth as a movie director.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Spike Lee's take on the summer of 1977 in New York City.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A pedestrian-looking mishmash of a movie!

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Disappointing.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
08/11/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Truly spellbinding and powerful.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com
 
 
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