Red Hook Summer Official Site

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Red Hook Summer, a Movie Review by Michael L. Johnson

I caught Red Hook Summer last night with a friend, and I left with a lot of questions. Because of that, I offer this humble review. Hopefully, for those who have seen the film, my feedback will not give too much away. And perhaps, for those who have seen the new Spike Lee Joint, some of these reflections will resonate and lead to better future films. At $11.50 for the ticket and about $15.00 for one bucket of popcorn and a drink, I certainly hope so.

The good: Red Hook Summer has the richness of Spike's other New York adventures and shows the beauty of places in New York other than Manhattan. In terms of cinematography, Lee's vision of Brooklyn is a vibrant canvas. The music in the film is also beautiful. In fact, the overall cast is stellar and Clarke Peters, who plays the role of Bishop Enoch Rouse, is spectacular. Mookie, from Lee's classic, Do the Right Thing, makes an appearance in this movie and is captivating. (As an aside, because of the power of Do the Right Thing, and Mookie's transformation in that story, I would love to know more about what happened to him. I think he deserves a movie all his own.)

The bad: My main disappointment is that the film feels like it does not know what it wants to be. I am not sure if Red Hook Summer is a coming of age film, a film about child abuse, a critique of the black church, or a film intended to present (Lee's) social commentary using the church (and the story of a troubled relationship between a grandfather his grandson) as a pulpit for political preaching. Also, while Lee's stream of consciousness aesthetic is interesting, the slow pace of the film is not. There were times when I wanted something to happen in the movie, but found myself unfulfilled, because the pace of the film is so slow. Lastly, there are many troubling holes in the plot, especially with regard to choices, actions, and consequences of actions taken by the main characters.

The Most Important Question: Was it a good movie?

Red Hook Summer wasn't that bad, or that good either. If I had to choose, I would have waited for it to come to cable. You really have to be a Spike Lee fan to like this movie. If I were asked to give the film a rating, numbered from 1-5 with 5 being the best, I'd give it maybe a 2. The movie didn't move me.

--MLJ