Review - Summer of Sam
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Acting Class
There are some actors and actresses who, no matter what material is handed to them, they look entirely professional and smooth. They aren't perfect, of course, but they're as close as a performer can get. Mira Sorvino is one of those people. She make anything look good, from a hooker to an entomologist to a troubled waitress, she can do it all. Summer of Sam surprised me. Mira's role in the film showed surprising range. However, there were also some very disturbing scenes that certainly did not need to be included in the film. And some were so off-the-wall that you weren't sure whether to laugh or gasp...and most people ended up picking the wrong emotion. The problem with Summer of Sam is that it tries to mock itself, and that's where it goes wrong. There is a specific scene I'm thinking of here, and I won't spoil it, but it involves a dog that seems like the one from the Bush's Baked Beans ad (in that it talks). It's so horrible that it's funny. If Spike Lee really knew what he were doing, he would have edited that scene out a long time ago. Not to say that Lee doesn't know what he's doing. The majority of the movie is beautiful, a real work of art. But, if we're going to go into works of art, Mira is the one. She saves every scene she's in; just her presence in a room can't be missed. Her strong character is a good choice for her, and she displays some of her best works since Mighty Aphrodite. Now if there was only a way to get her into that dog scene... Grade - B-
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