As Good As It Gets

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Summer of Sam is a movie that would help you understand the 70's culture in my opinion. The movie at least shows how it was to be young back then.I give it a seven out of ten because this film was lacking just little important things. The story gets confusing during some of the film . The director "Spike Lee" did a horrible job at providing a back story for some of the characters.But besides that it is a good film with graphic materiel. I wouldn't recommend this movie to any one under the age of 15 because of the sex scenes and inappropriate langue.The film shows things I didn't know what was going on such as bathhouses, and punk rock clubs where bands can play music. Or even a walk in porn theater things was different in the 70's.The film did a good job at covering that.

It's the Bronx summer of 1977 and the Son of Sam serial killer is on the loose. After a night of disco dancing, hair dresser Vinny (John Leguizamo) and his wife Dionna (Mira Sorvino) encounter the latest victims. Even the mob is enlisted in the search for the killer. Women are changing their hair and people are avoiding public places. Vinny's friend Richie (Adrien Brody) has become a British punk rocker and an outcast in the neighborhood. Vinny's half-sister Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) accepts Richie's changes. The movie also follows David Berkowitz (Michael Badalucco) aka the .44 Caliber Killer. As the pressure mounts, suspicions land on Richie.Spike Lee is tapping into his inner Scorsese. This is a costume drama movie with good style. It has the terrific atmosphere. However the story feels scattered. The movie really needs more focus. Actually the lead should have been Richie rather than Vinny. Also Berkowitz should be left out since the movie is never about catching him. It's an interesting move by Spike Lee but it's a slight miss.

This film says little about David Berkowitz, other than to repeat as the truth his lies about the supposed insanity that drove him to kill. In reality he was in full control of his faculties, and just got a sexual thrill out of his crimes. Instead, the film tells us uninteresting stories about various repulsive characters about whom we care nothing. The movie meanders boringly for over two hours, with not enough material for even forty minutes. It is hard to imagine how this film got made: who was it aimed at? Who could possibly enjoy it? If Berkowitz had turned up and shot some of the main characters early in the film it would have been a relief!

A Stylish, Stupid Movie full of Faddish, Fake Characterizations in a Cartoonish Way that Feels like a Rotoscoped Ralph Bakshi Exhibit without the Humor. There is some Humor Here but it is Unintentional. It's quite a Mess and Meanders Everywhere around NYC during that Summer of Sam.The most Unappealing Characters are Placed in some Very Unappealing Situations and the Audience is Forced to Watch. This is Sadistic Filmmaking. It does Look Splashy but Looks aren't Everything. Everything in this Total Misfire is Gut-Wrenching and made Intentionally Hard to Swallow. Wallowing Away in Stereotypes that are not only Ill Conceived but Inaccurate and are more False Memory than Historical.Overall, it is a Badly Conceived and Badly Acted and Worst of all, Badly Directed Disaster from a Sometimes Effective Social Commentator. But here His Commentary is a Jack Hammer of a Jack-Off and is so Self Indulgent that it is an Odorous and Stench Filled Film that is Profane, Gross, and Grossly Overrated.