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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]

Reviews for Summer of Sam

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Trouble is, the overlong narrative, however entertaining from minute to minute, is a mess.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sprawling, brilliantly acted character study which touches on love, friendship and betrayal, while also managing to recreate the last days of disco without a note of self-parody.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
04/17/01
Geoffrey Macnab
Geoffrey Macnab
Sight and Sound

The film is so involving because it seems to be a dance around Lee's memory and imagination.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

An enormously energetic, flavourful film.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
08/19/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

A big cartoon!

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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, 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

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

A smooth ride down a dead end street.

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

A pedestrian-looking mishmash of a movie!

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

Lee is a great filmmaker, often exhibiting kinetic visual flair on par with Brian DePalma and Martin Scorsese and a storytelling ability comparable to Steven Spielberg. But here, he gets himself into a bind.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Even with the slick cinematography and pulsating rock soundtrack, the final product is a big disappointment.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

A long, loud, scattershot epic!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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