Crooklyn By: Henry Seyue

Crooklyn Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Zelda Harris (Troy Carmichael), Alfre Woodard (Carolyn Carmichael), Delroy Lindo (Woody Carmichael), Spike Lee (Snuffy)
Universal Studios, 1994

     After my third full viewing of Spike Lee's 1994 dramedy, Crooklyn, I've developed a new love for this film. I've previously ranked films like Jungle Fever, Mo' Better Blues, School Daze and Do The Right Thing far ahead of Crooklyn, but after my latest viewing, I have seen the error of my ways. Not only is Crooklyn on the same level as the aforementioned Spike Lee Joints, but it might actually trump these films (with the exception of Do The Right Thing). Some things that make this film especially good is its soundtrack, its purposeful lack of structure, it's humor, and its strong character development. The culmination of these things makes this one of Lee's most well rounded films which says a lot about a director of his caliber.

    This is perhaps the most sonically pleasing film I've ever watched, second only to Randall Kleiser's Grease. The soundtrack of this film is masterfully chosen so that a false sense of nostalgia is created within the viewer, and the music is so skillfully intertwined into certain scenes that in a way it almost narrates said scenes. Notable hits like Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", The Jackson 5's "ABC" and The Chi-lite's "oh girl" are used to give the viewers something that they are familiar with. The film takes place in 1973, many viewers today are likely unfamiliar with the events of the 70's so what the music does is create a sense of familiarity with the time period through familiar music. This allowed me to better put myself into the film, as though I had been alive during the films events. The soundtrack of the film also serves as more than entertainment in certain scenes where it sets the tone. An example of this powerful use of non-digetic sound occurs when Troy heads home from her cousin's house. The scene is set by the Jackson 5's "Never can say good bye". I can't imagine a song more fitting for this departure, as it elicits strong emotions from the viewers. Given the relationship that is created between Troy and her cousin, nothing better sets the sorrowful tone needed to relay the level of heartbreak caused by the separation. The soundtrack also does a great job as a device to send implied messages to the audience. When the matriarch of the film dies it isn't even explicitly announced in the film, the scene begins with the instantly recognizable "ooh child" by the JB's, and it is simply implied that death has occurred. This may be overlooked as something simple, but I think it is brilliant because music extracts more emotions from viewers than lines from a script, along with the fact that the song is perfectly placed in the context of the film.

      One thing about Crooklyn that can be seen as either positive or negative is that it begins with a lack of structure. When I say lack of structure I mean that for maybe the first 30-45 minutes of the film it isn't really setting us up for anything. Nothing is being foreshadowed, there isn't really an established antagonist with overwhelming relevance in the film, there isn't really an established main character (it could've either been Troy or her mother), and it overall doesn't feel like it leads to anything. This may seem boring to some viewers but I think this is done for a purpose, especially in a film that has the title of a potential documentary. We know that the film takes place in the Bed-ford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Lee is native to, so him wanting to show us his perspective of Crooklyn might actually have some purpose in the film. I believe the beginning of the film is mainly Spike Lee showing us Brooklyn from his eyes as a kid in 1973. This is slightly before crack would enter the community so what we see is minimal hardships. Kids were still doing kid activities like jumping rope, bantering, listening when their parents called them in for dinner, racing bikes, and hassling adults. The biggest problems in the community might have been the occasional shoplifter or bully (like peanut). This tells the viewers that Lee actually see's Brooklyn positively in-spite of the film's title. Seeing that the film begins almost like a documentary of Brooklyn in the 70's, viewers might be awaiting the point where it turns into "Crooklyn", but it never happens. That leaves me to believe that the title of this film isn't from Lee's perspective of Brooklyn looking inside out, it's from the perspective of an outsider looking in. The events in the movie may seem absurd to an outsider, thus calling it Crooklyn, but in the eyes of Lee, it's simply Brooklyn like we see in the Structureless beginning of the film.

Personally speaking, I don't think Spike Lee has many Crooklyn-esque films left in him. Crooklyn is a must watch for any body who is as big a Spike Lee fan as I am because of its simplicity. This film is no Malcom X, or Chiraq because it isn't as structured or as serious toned. It has its serious moments but even those moments are delivered in a more subtle manner than what is typical in most Spike Lee Joints. I would recommend this film to anybody who lived their childhood in the 70's because I believe it really captures the essence of what 70's life was for the average black person. I would also recommend this film to anybody who understand the value of music in a film. I cant stress enough that the soundtrack of Crooklyn is by far its biggest strength and adds to the films appeal. I would give Crooklyn a strong 8/10. This is a 3 point increase from my previous rating, which means that if you truly want to understand the beauty of Crooklyn you might have to watch it a few times like I did.