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.

gelashe Having grown up in Queens in the 1970's, everything in this film hits home. I am sure anyone that grew up in any of the 5 boro's can appreciate it.The music is what we listened to on AM radio, the TV shows, children's street games, sitting on the stoop steps, kids teasing their friends and neighbors are all something we did at that time. The Carmichael kids in front of the TV singing along to the Partridge Family "I Woke up in Love this Morning", Walt Frazier being IT when it came to basketball. How many of us sat doing the same things? The kids fighting with each other are brother sister typical things.But the film also shows the problems a family endures when financial strains hit. The father is a musician who wants to write and play classical music to audiences who can appreciate it. This becomes a burden when his wife is the one working as a teacher paying the bills. Domestic issues put a strain on their relationship as they get into who used to pay the bills and who's paying them now.Mom getting the kids up in the middle of the night for not cleaning up, you can understand her frustration being the breadwinner, mom and everything else. When she complains later on that she is tired, you will have to watch the film to see why.Sit back and enjoy a trip back in time when life was a lot simpler. Even Spike and his friend dabbling in glue sniffing isn't so bad compared to what is going on now.

Peter Hayes The life and times of a large black family growing up in Brooklyn circa 1970.I am told that Spike Lee got together with his sister and made a list of the things they remember about their youth. They then tuned this list in to a film script -- with the disclaimer that it is not really autobiographical.I won't name the actors in this piece by name, but I would congratulate them on acting out a giant piece of nothing. It also follows the formula that is popular the world over - children are cheeky, men are feckless dreamers and only women can get their act together and stop life falling apart totally.(Maybe this is true - discuss this among yourselves.) There is no real drama here. No hero's and villains. There is bits of soap opera and kitchen table politics, but hardly anything that you couldn't see 7 days a week on TV.I am not really fascinated by working class life in a black neighbourhood anyway - but I did watch and gave the movie a chance to get me involved. Sadly it failed, although it is not objectionable in any way.Crooklyn proves that all great movies are actually about something and if you open your mouth it is best to have something to say. This is just a giant treading-water exercise for Spike Lee who, while not being very good or very polished, gets by because there isn't any competition for him.

Haunani31 This movie is one of my all time favorites. Once a year me and my sister watch this movie. After the movie we sit and reminisce about all of the characters that we grew up with. It takes us back to the days when we played kick ball, red light green light, catch a girl get a girl, dodge ball, smear the qu%$r (known today as rugby)...all of which I'm sure are banned today.This movie is nostalgia in its purest form. If you grew up in the concrete jungle you will laugh to tears. The acting is outstanding and the cinematography is brilliant. Big ups to the Lee family for helping all of us to remember the good IL days.