Main Cast: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris, Carlton Williams
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
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
Review
Spike Lee takes a break from sensationalism with Crooklyn, a wistful yet uncompromising look at the lower middle-class Brooklyn of his youth. Episodic and told through the eyes of the family's lone daughter, Troy, played by the revelatory Zelda Harris, Crooklyn is rich with atmosphere and classic R&B tunes from the early '70s. But without Lee's usual sociopolitical agendas, it's more of a pleasant diversion than a film of lasting import. To be sure, Lee is still interested in the pulsing dynamics of inner city neighborhoods, notably how the conditions incite argument. But with elements like the wonderful opening credits montage, featuring the diverse range of sidewalk games the children concoct to pass the time, the film takes the softer tone of a labor of love by and about his family. Lee's siblings Joie and Cinque, novice screenwriters, conceal their inexperience with skillful, natural slices of the life they once knew, though it's likely Lee had a far greater hand in the writing. Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodard give sympathetic performances as parents refreshingly free from dysfunction, other than the father's impractical earnestness about progressing as a musician. The contrast between Southern rural blacks and inner-city blacks, explored during the summer Troy spends with her relatives, also yields interesting insights. Although the director made his reputation on inflammatory subject matter, his foray into more personal territory is a welcome success on its own modest terms. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Sharif Rashed - Wendell; Tse-Mach Washington - Joseph; Christopher Knowings - Nate; José Zuñiga - Tommy La La; Isaiah Washington - Vic; Ivelka Reyes - Jessica; Spike Lee - Snuffy; N.Jeremi Duru - Right Hand Man; Frances Foster - Aunt Song; Norman Matlock - Clem; Patriece Nelson - Viola; Vondie Curtis-Hall - Uncle Brown; Tiasha Reyes - Minnie; Mildred Clinton - Mrs Columbo; Arthur French - West Indian Store Manager; Dan Grimaldi - Con Ed Man; Keith Johnson - Cornell; Joie Lee; Michele Shay - Drunk Woman; Bokeem Woodbine - Richard; Robi Reed; RuPaul - Bodega Woman; Christopher Wynkoop - TV Evangelist
Credit
Chris Shriver - Art Director, Cinqué Lee - Associate Producer, Joie Lee - Associate Producer, Robi Reed - Casting, Monty Ross - Co-producer, Ruth E. Carter - Costume Designer, Mike Ellis - First Assistant Director, Spike Lee - Director, Barry Alexander Brown - Editor, Terence Blanchard - Composer (Music Score), Skip Lievsey - Musical Direction/Supervision, Wynn P. Thomas - Production Designer, Arthur Jafa - Cinematographer, Preston Holmes - Producer, Spike Lee - Producer, Jon Kilik - Producer, Ted Glass - Set Designer, Steve Kirshoff - Special Effects, Rolf Pardula - Sound/Sound Designer, Cinqué Lee - Screenwriter, Joie Lee - Screenwriter, Spike Lee - Screenwriter
Crooklyn is a 1994semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York during the 1970s. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy (played by Zelda Harris), and her family. Throughout the film, Troy learns life lessons through her four rowdy brothers, her loving but strict mother (Alfre Woodard), her naive, struggling father (Delroy Lindo) summer adventures and final farewell.
A distinctive characteristic of Crooklyn is its soundtrack, comprised completely of music from the 1970s, except the hit single "Crooklyn" by the Crooklyn Dodgers, a rap crew composed of Buckshot, Masta Ace and Special Ed. A two-volume release of the soundtrack became available on CD along with the release of the film.
