Unfathomable. Yet, as Crooklyn demonstrates, what may be out of reach for most is quite literally what Lee was born to do.

| Oct 31, 2023

An elegiac Bed-Stuy fairy tale.

| Mar 5, 2023

Because Lee's previous films have been so fervently about something that they smothered much of the very humanity Crooklyn celebrates, the relaxed gait is strikingly apparent.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 26, 2022

Apart from being the two female presences in the house, Carolyn sees singular fortitude and possibility in Troy. Their scenes together are the heart of the movie.

| Jan 5, 2021

Nuanced depiction of a black family in Brooklyn; language.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 16, 2019

In spite of the flaws of the Virginia interlude I really enjoyed this.

| Mar 13, 2019

...a relaxed portrayal of African-American domesticity, anchored by strong performances.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 11, 2018

Lee seems to confuse noise with drama: the bickering Carmichaels create quite a racket, but we're seldom moved by their plight. In his most desperate moment, Lee shoots a long sequence through a distorted lens.

| Jun 5, 2018

Crooklyn, a gentle and touching tale of growing up in a melting-pot neighborhood of Brooklyn in the Partridge Family era, shows a different, more sentimental side of that cinematic firebrand, Spike Lee.

| Jun 5, 2018

| Original Score: B- | Sep 7, 2011

Lee is a great self-promoter. After all his press releases and all his interviews, we are given films that are sketchy, unfelt and distancing -- incidents in Lee's career, the only drama that really interests him.

| Sep 23, 2008

While Lee fails to impose sufficient structure on his material, expertly drawn performances help vividly to evoke the family and street life of an era untroubled by crack or drive-by shootings.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 23, 2008

It's not Lee's most challenging work, but it's certainly amongst his most charming.

| Sep 23, 2008

A sub-par vision of Brooklyn with some bright spots

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 29, 2007

An affectionate look at youthful adventures.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 14, 2006

The key problem is that the film is simply a ragged series of anecdotal sketches.

| Jun 24, 2006

Loosely based on Spike Lee's growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, the casual, warm, apolitical (for Lee) script took a life of its own during the development process.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 6, 2006

One of Lee's more modest but admirable pieces.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 24, 2004

Um dos melhores trabalhos de Spike Lee, este filme foi solenemente ignorado pela Academia - uma mancha que o Oscar carregar para sempre em seu histrico.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 11, 2004

Standard Spike Lee fare, which means it comes with its high and low points.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 22, 2003