Crooklyn with Alfre Woodard: DVD Cover

    Crooklyn Director: Spike Lee Cast: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris

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    • DVD Release Date: 02/23/1999
    • Original Release: 1994
    • Rating: Rated PG13
    • Sales Rank: 9,527

    Viewer Rating: (8 ratings)

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    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
    • Cast & Crew
    • Full Product Details

    Scenes

    Scene Index

    Side #1
    0. Chapter List

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    Spike Lee and his siblings Cinque Lee and Joie Lee co-wrote this nostalgic but unglamorized look at a family growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, inspired by their own childhood. Woody Carmichael (Delroy Lindo) is a jazz musician whose career is in a slump; he once made a good living as a session musician, but he has moved away from it to devote himself to more serious music, a choice that has not worked out well from a financial standpoint. His wife Carolyn (Alfre Woodard) works as a school teacher to keep food on the table. The Carmichaels have five children, a bright and introspective daughter named Troy (Zelda Harris) and four sons with a habit of causing trouble, and they all share an apartment in a brownstone in Brooklyn. Crooklyn follows the Carmichaels as the kids learn the funny and painful lessons of growing up, Mom and Dad balance their love for each other against the financial and personal difficulties of the creative life, and they all try to get along with the often eccentric neighbors on their block. Crooklyn's soundtrack is enlivened by classic 70s R&B hits, including selections by Sly and the Family Stone, The Jackson Five, Curtis Mayfield, The Staple Singers, and The Chambers Brothers. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

    Customer Reviews

    Crooklynby Anonymous

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    March 04, 2007: Crooklyn, which Lee co-wrote with his siblings Joie Lee and Cinque Lee, marks a departure for Spike in its subject matter, offering a warm, tragicomic look at growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1970s, when the main drugs parents had to worry about their kids falling prey to wasn't crack or heroin but television and sugar. Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo head the Carmichael clan, a family of seven loosely based on the real-life Lees. Woodard plays Carolyn, who teaches school and tries to keep the house in order, including her husband Woody (Lindo), a musician trying to stay true to his art even if that means placing his family in a financial strait-jacket. Crooklyn takes the point of view of the family's only daughter, 9-year-old Troy (Zelda Harris). While the film certainly looks through her eyes, it doesn't seem to be a strong enough viewpoint to carry the film's whimsical meandering. While Woodard, Lindo and Harris all give solid performances, the four brothers tend to disappear into the woodwork, never really developing into characters in their own rights. Subplots about a neighbor (David Patrick Kelly) and two glue-sniffing street kids (one played by Spike Lee) appear but never really go anywhere, though the glue sniffers do provide some funny camera angles. There aren't many overt flaws in Crooklyn. All but the most comic of urban violence has been removed, and we're left with a somewhat-idealized view of an early-70s Brooklyn. Lee is as talented as any director is capturing an era, and some of the early scenes perfectly recall the mood of the time. The pop soundtrack may be a little too obvious, but it gets the job done. As usual, Lee has assembled an excellent cast. Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo do tremendous jobs. David Patrick Kelly provides a little comic relief as the white next-door neighbor who annoys just about everyone. Then there's Zelda Harris, whose unaffected performance is the glue that holds the picture together. Crooklyn turns out pleasant enough, but by the end, it feels as if something has been left out and it just stops. The world of a child -- especially one pushed all-too-soon into adulthood -- is never easy, and this film captures the facets of Troy's odyssey. Beneath the surface of this deceptively simple motion picture lurks a keen insight.

    Crooklynby Anonymous

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    March 30, 2005: This movie was so amazing! I watched this movie as a little girl and still watch it on a daily basis to this day. I remember my dad pulling out this movie one night and I was like what is this? I've never heard of this before..and since then its been my favorite movie. I recommend that anyone go see this movie know matter if your black, white, or purple! It's a great family movie that everyone will enjoy, I guarantee it!


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