Summer of Sam (1999)

Spike ain't no paisan
I admire Spike Lee's talents. He has made some of the best, yes best, American films of the past few decades. "Do The Right Thing" was seminal. "Crooklyn" was never talked about much because it was not controversial. But it was one of the finest films depicting late 20th century American families, regardless of race. The recent "Inside Man" was a great caper. "Clockers' and "25th Day" were well-made Spike Joints.
Like many talented artists with a viewpoint, Spike has been controversial to say the least. I thought his arguments were weakest when he scolded Tarantino for using too much of the "N" word in his films. Glass houses Spike. But we all know Spike runs the gamut from hero to chump so what was up with "Summer Of Sam"?
Well "SOS" is really Spike laughing at Italians. Let's be honest. I do not believe I am over-reaching. The guineas who keep their manhood in the film haven't a brain cell to share amongst themselves and the two leads are sexually less than what Spike would define as Real Men. One cheats on his wife compulsively and isn't man enough to deal with it. JL's character is also shown to be almost crminally perverse. Adrian Brody's character gets even worse treatment on the manhood scale from Spike. He engages in sexual behavior that would define him as a b-tch. Spike has never portrayed African American men as sexually less-than and that says a lot. The leads' sexual hang-ups are parallaled with the Son Of Sam's and that is a real sneaky and questionable indictment. WE get it Spike. All white dudes, especially Italian and Jewish guys who you know from childhood, are freaks. And not in the cool, Rick James-way. More like in the uber-creepy Jeffrey Dahmer way.
Also, the fascinating subculture of lower East Side NY punk has never been handled more poorly in a film.
The Italian mobsters in "SOS" are cartoonish. They do not have an iota of menace. They do not seem dangerous, as many criminals in Spike's films do.
So we wonder. Did Spike get beat up by Italians growing up in the boroughs? Howard Stern got beat up by blacks growing up and for years he teased black culture mercilessly in retribution. Spike's just a little guy. Maybe Dominic or Paulie slapped him and stole his lunch money when he was a kid. Thus, "SOS" is sweet revenge for Spike. It is also, alas, one of his least accomplished films.
And I can prove it. When the dog begins literally speaking to Berkowitz, the audience howled. I cringed. "No he didn't just have the dog talk!" Yes he did.

Shakey facade for pornography
This movie has all the marks of a bad porno movie; one animalistic and unrealistic sex scene after another loosely strewn together with a thin and uninspiring plot. One has a difficult time remembering the basic plot premise when every other scene is one more perversion splashed on the screen as if in attempts to shock us more than the previous scene. If you watch it at all, be sure you have the remote handy to fast-forward. Doing so will help you focus on what little plot their is and lesson the time you waste which you could have spent watching something worthwhile. If the Son of Sam murders of the late 1970's are your interest, you will find precious little about it here so do not bother. It is a very sad that Spike Lee, with hints of true talent, could release something that would not even pass for mediocre pornography - much less serious drama.

Shakey facade for pornography
This movie has all the marks of a bad porno movie; one animalistic and unrealistic sex scene after another loosely strewn together with a thin and uninspiring plot. One has a difficult time remembering the basic plot premise when every other scene is one more perversion splashed on the screen as if in attempts to shock us more than the previous scene. If you watch it at all, be sure you have the remote handy to fast-forward. Doing so will help you focus on what little plot their is and lesson the time you waste which you could have spent watching something worthwhile. If the Son of Sam murders of the late 1970's are your interest, you will find precious little about it here so do not bother. It is a very sad that Spike Lee, with hints of true talent, could release something that would not even pass for mediocre pornography - much less serious drama.