Spike Lee's vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.Spike Lee's vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.Spike Lee's vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Nate
- (as Christopher Knowings)
- Tommy La La
- (as José Zuniga)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe "disorienting" view when the family is in the country was created by shooting in widescreen without anamorphically adjusting the image.
- GoofsIn the store, Troy buys a bag of chips, lemon heads, bazooka gum, licorice, fireballs and Boston baked beans. When she gets home all of the boys pull out all of the candy from the bag and Troy is seen eating a candy necklace, obviously something she did not buy.
- Quotes
Carolyn: Damn it, Woody, you bounced another check.
Woody: I thought we had it covered. I'll get some money.
Carolyn: When?
Woody: When? What do you think I'm doing right here? Gem, Let me just finish this music.
Carolyn: That's what I've always done. The problem is your music's not bringing anything into the house but music.
Woody: Gem, the money will come.
Carolyn: I'm waiting. I'm back teaching school again, and I am waiting, Woody.
Woody: Just keep doing what you're doing, Gem. Now you know it wasn't always like this. I made money before. I'll make money again.
Carolyn: I trust you, but you have got to realize we are on a limited budget. I am trying to balance everything and when you go and write checks and you don't tell me about it, it makes it extremely difficult.
Woody: As God is my witness, I want the best for you and the children. But I have got to do it in my own way.
[He gets up from his piano]
Woody: Look it.
[He gives her a hug]
Woody: Cool?
Carolyn: Cool. I went out and opened a separate back account.
Woody: [He backs away] That's supposed to get some kind of reaction from me? What is that supposed to prove?
Carolyn: I don't know what it proves. I'm interested in putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our kids' heads.
Woody: [Woody goes to the far end of the living room and sits in a small chair] Boy! You know, you really kill me. I mean, on the one hand, you come down here telling me about yet another mistake Woody done made. But when I'm sitting at that piano trying to do my work, trying to concentrate, you won't let me do that either. You got a beef with that. I don't know what to do.
Carolyn: You can get up off my chair.
[He gets up and walks about]
Carolyn: I don't want to hear about your mistakes, You keep track of those. I don't have time. All I ask you to do is to write down when you spend the money I am making.
Woody: I told you it was a legitimate mistake.
Carolyn: I appreciate that, but you have made that mistake five times this month. I just want you to change the pattern.
Woody: I don't need no lecture from you about how to conduct myself in this house!
Carolyn: I'm not giving you a lecture. I am asking you to help me conduct the business affairs of this family! You're an adult!
Woody: What the hell do you think I'm trying to do?
Carolyn: I don't know what you're doing!
Woody: I know you don't. Well, let me tell you, I got to be like a thief in the night in this house every time I want to get some privacy to do my work!
Carolyn: You selfish child! Don't tell me about privacy!
Woody: Selfish nothing! Selfish nothing!
Carolyn: Yes, you are selfish! I can't even take a piss without six people hanging off my tits!
Woody: You're a big saint around here and I ain't shit, is that it?
Carolyn: You can call yourself what you want to. I just asked you to write down the check.
Woody: I wrote the check, right?
[Woody sits back down at the piano]
Woody: I wrote the stupid thing.
[He gets up some music charts]
Carolyn: I think you can do two things at once: make music and write.
Woody: [Writing] Woody... wrote... a... bum... check.
[Gives her the sheet]
Woody: Here.
Carolyn: That's very cute. You remember to write it down before it bounces next time.
Woody: You know, you seem to forget, I'm the one used to pay for you and the children to go to Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor to get what you wanted when you wanted. You ain't the only one contributed to this family, Gem. You got to remember that.
- Crazy creditsThe closing credits play over old footage of several episodes of "Soul Train".
- SoundtracksPeople Make the World Go Round
Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed
Used by permission of Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Performed by The Stylistics
Courtesy of Amherst Records, Inc./PolyGram International Music B.V.
By arrangement with Original Sound Entertainment/Celebrity Licensing Inc.
The music is what we listened to on AM radio, the TV shows, children's street games, sitting on the stoop steps, kids teasing their friends and neighbors are all something we did at that time.
The Carmichael kids in front of the TV singing along to the Partridge Family "I Woke up in Love this Morning", Walt Frazier being IT when it came to basketball. How many of us sat doing the same things? The kids fighting with each other are brother sister typical things.
But the film also shows the problems a family endures when financial strains hit. The father is a musician who wants to write and play classical music to audiences who can appreciate it. This becomes a burden when his wife is the one working as a teacher paying the bills. Domestic issues put a strain on their relationship as they get into who used to pay the bills and who's paying them now.
Mom getting the kids up in the middle of the night for not cleaning up, you can understand her frustration being the breadwinner, mom and everything else. When she complains later on that she is tired, you will have to watch the film to see why.
Sit back and enjoy a trip back in time when life was a lot simpler. Even Spike and his friend dabbling in glue sniffing isn't so bad compared to what is going on now.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 布魯克林的夏天
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $14,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $13,642,861
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,209,475
- May 15, 1994
- Gross worldwide
- $13,642,925
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1