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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
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Reviews for Summer of Sam
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.
This is trashy exploitation at its clumsiest. Once more, a Spike Lee movie has been undone by the earnestness of being important.
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.
This movie is constantly in motion, spinning from one level of the story to another.
Spike Lee, one of the most consistently visionary American filmmakers, makes a sprawling mess out of the summer of 1977.
Spike Lee's latest joint, like much of his recent work, is an epic exercise in tedium.
A sprawling wasteland of inflammatory tabloid moviemaking, it's more white-hot and frenetic and honestly emotional than any other movie this year.
The world of the movie is so violent, drug addled, and unattractive that we were left somewhat aghast.
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.
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.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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