Summer of Sam 1999, Rated R Buena Vista Home Entertainment

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Starring John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino. Released to DVD on December 21, 1999.

This was a completely unnecessary movie. Written and directed by Spike Lee, a man who knows a thing or two about directing unnecessary movies, Summer of Sam is Lee's long, tedious and rambling look at New York City's summer of 1977, complete with the two week long blackout, discos, and serial killer David Berkovitz. Our trip through Summer of Sam is guided by Vinny (John Leguizamo) and Dionna (Mira Sorvino) a married couple experiencing some relationship difficulties because of Vinny's inability to keep his pants anywhere but around his ankles. The main problem with this film is Lee's script that, like a drunken frat boy, meanders and stumbles all over the place. With numerous tangents to try your patience-namely the marital problems between Vinny and Dionna-Summer of Sam relies heavily on the magnificent performance by Adrien Brody as punk rocker Ritchie to hold the viewer's interest. Lee has done much better work than this.