IMDb > Summer of Sam (1999)
Summer of Sam
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Summer of Sam (1999) More at IMDbPro »

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Summer of Sam (1999) -- MyMovies.Net - Trailer (WM9 - 128kbps)

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   17,408 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Spike Lee
Writers:
Victor Colicchio (written by) &
Michael Imperioli (written by) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Summer of Sam on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1999 (USA) more
Tagline:
The summer of '77 was a killer........ more
Plot:
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American South Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another. | add synopsis
Awards:
4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
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Top Ten Underrated Films (Of All Time)
 (From FilmShaft.com. 2 September 2009, 11:15 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Flashy Departure For Spike Lee... more (328 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Leguizamo ... Vinny

Adrien Brody ... Richie

Mira Sorvino ... Dionna

Jennifer Esposito ... Ruby
Michael Rispoli ... Joey T

Saverio Guerra ... Woodstock

Brian Tarantina ... Bobby Del Fiore
Al Palagonia ... Anthony

Ken Garito ... Brian

Bebe Neuwirth ... Gloria
Patti LuPone ... Helen

Mike Starr ... Eddie

Anthony LaPaglia ... Detective Lou Petrocelli
Roger Guenveur Smith ... Detective Curt Atwater

Ben Gazzara ... Luigi
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Son of Sam (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong graphic violence and sexuality, pervasive strong language and drug use.
Runtime:
142 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Two minutes of film were cut, mostly from the club orgy scene, to get an R rating instead of an NC-17. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When the guys come to get Vinny to help them with Richie, Vinny picks up the phone to call the police. When the phone is ripped off the wall, you can see that there is no phone line or place to plug in the phone on the wall. more
Quotes:
Midnight: [to Ruby] Damn, girl, you make me wish I was a lesbian. more
Movie Connections:
References Dead End (1937) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Go Breaking My Heart more

FAQ

If David Berkowitz was the "son" of Sam, who was Sam?
How was the Son of Sam finally caught?
Who was the "Son of Sam"?
more
22 out of 30 people found the following comment useful.
A Flashy Departure For Spike Lee..., 29 December 1999
8/10
Author: Donald J. Lamb from Philadelphia, PA

Spike Lee goes berserk with SUMMER OF SAM, a twisted revisiting of the Son of Sam killings, New York, 1977. Lee steps away from his usual message pictures depicting the differences between blacks and whites and plunges us into the small Italian neighborhood within the largest city in the United States that serial killer David Berkowitz terrorized for months. The "Son of Sam" himself (played by Michael Badalucco) is placed in the back seat and Lee presents a community and an era for that matter in complete chaos.

SUMMER OF SAM has its good points and its bad points. We get to know this locale very well whether we like it or not. The characters who populate the neighborhood are funny, sad, and stupid all at the same time. You get a feel for the smells and the language of that time in that place. 1977 was the year of Disco's peak, the uprising of British punk rock (represented well by the Adrien Brody character "Ritchie"), and the Yankees were on top of the baseball world. These characters are truly nuts in their vigilante approach to finding the killer. Hell, Reggie Jackson (#44) may be the .44 caliber killer.

Aside from seeing into a sometimes gripping and stupefying world of violence and flash, the film does go overboard many times. Lee continuously rams the sex aspect of the period into our minds and Berkowitz is not seen or known enough. I did not expect a Berkowitz bio at all, however a more focused look at the killer would have proved more effective. The relationship between "Vinny" and "Dionna" (John Leguizamo and Mira Sirvino) is well-done, but over-told. True, "Vinny" is the movie's central character, but he has barely a redeeming quality and is a hard-headed product of his environment.

The cinematography and overall sound of SUMMER OF SAM is awesome. It looks grimy when it should and the use of The Who on the soundtrack is emotionally rousing, especially during the inevitable climax. I liked the picture mostly for cinematic reasons than for historical or emotional ones. The fictional neighborhood pieces are not as good as the small glimpses of Berkowitz, who does indeed chat with dogs. It did remind me in many ways of Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING, but this film has a larger canvas to paint. It works despite the shortcomings.

RATING: ***

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Summer of Sam (1999)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Really Bad... MrImportant
Almost unwatchably bad, and here's why chris-rogers2
Ok so I don't get it...is he gay? Cabaretchic7
I thought this was a crazy movie then... *SPOILERS* The_Movie_Whore
Rascist to Italians? nikkilynn1982
What happened to the characters after the movie ended? lorireece1
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