Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

dunsuls-1 Released in 1994 and running a little long at 115 minutes.My favorite hard ass director goes soft trying to be edgy in this whimsical story of growing up in Brooklyn back in the day.I loved it but not as a Spike picture,rather as remembering what a neighborhood was all about and family and kids and just because they are all black there is a lot I remember like it.About as edgy as it gets is Spike in a small role as Snuffy,gets hit in the head by Zelda Harris as Troy,the real star of this film and gezz I wonder where she went?? Alfre Woodard as Carolyn Carmichael and Delroy Lindo as Woody Carmichael are great as the parents who are trying to raise their 5 kids in Crooklyn but it's hard and there are tragic things that happen and at the end young Troy is now the anchor of the family and it's future is not certain.The soundtrack is wonderful representing music from the 70's,the acting is first rate as Spike always finds talent and the story, while soft by Spike standards ,is still very strong by white standards and sad in many ways besides being hopeful.I'm white and was raised in Brooklyn and I thought I had it easy after seeing this film.

Newsense Ahhh who can forget the good Ol' days of Spike Lee films that had heart as well as insight? Who can forget this gem? Crooklyn is loosely based on Spike Lee's life growing up. Its mostly a story that mostly details the struggles of a family growing up in Brooklyn as seen through the eyes of Troy(played by Zelda Harris). There are beautiful performances to be seen here. Alfre Woodard's presence is felt as the stern but loving mother of four kids and Delroy Lindo's is great as the father who is also dealing with pressure as a struggling musician and trying to pay the rent on time. They go through the normal strife that any black family has to go through in poor areas but they still find a way to maintain. I remember as a kid that the last scene with the mom passing on had me choked up. Troy and her brother holding hands at the reception for the funeral was a touching scene too. They drove each other crazy but it was still love in the end. Crooklyn has brief moments of awareness like one scene in particular: Troy's aunt comparing troy's hair to her adopted child's hair saying that the adopted child's hair was good hair and that Troy's hair was rough was a subtle form of self-hatred but most people wouldn't pick up on that. Of course Spike Lee has to make an appearance in the movie. He plays a junkie who chases kids around trying to steal money from them. In short Crooklyn stands out as one the best dramas of all time and one of Spike Lee's best work. The characters are ones that you care about, their struggles are real and anybody who has been there can also relate. Two thumbs up for Spike Lee's work of art on film.

heyjamesguesswhat Crooklyn is an engaging film that stands out in Spike Lee's filmography, not only for Lee's seamless storying of everyday life in 70's Brooklyn, but also because of his interesting and innovative cinematic imagery. The cinematography Lee employs in Crooklyn helps to create fantastic -sometimes even cartoon-like- environments in which his characters spring to life and thrive. His dollying techniques (placing actors on dollies), lens choice, and manipulation of color conspire to add special characteristics to this film. This is a great film to watch not only for Lee's ability to highlight the beauty of the quotidian in his storytelling, but also for the aesthetic qualities that Lee produces with his rich filmic vocabulary.

Jason Forestein Another reviewer referred to Crooklyn as Spike's most underrated joint, and I heartily agree. This film is a wonderful achievement and much more mature and sure-handed than a lot of the films Spike has made since. It's not quite Do the Right Thing (but that film feels, quite simply, like a blessed and untouchable project), but it holds up better than Malcolm X or Jungle Fever or Clockers or He Got Game--all very good films as well.Why do I like this film so much? It's sweet-natured. In many ways, it reminds me of a film like Millions, which I also adored. There are too many nasty movies (don't get me wrong, I enjoy nastiness from time to time) and too few nice ones. Or rather too few nice ones that don't drop into cliché and cloying sappiness. Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodard are excellent as always, but the kids here really steal the show (the same was true of Millions--maybe I just like movies with realistic, precocious kids). The film has a bright palette similar to Do the Right Thing and the early scenes in Malcolm X that works perfectly. The story too is something to behold. It doesn't follow a typical path and, as a result, feels more like the realistic life and times of a black family in New York in the 1970s. The film is really touching and, perhaps, that's because Crooklyn feels more personal than many other Spike Lee films. All in all, this is a great and underrated film. If you think you understand Spike, you're wrong until you've seen Crooklyn.