Red Hook Summer

Movie review by
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media
Red Hook Summer Movie Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+
(i)
Complex Spike Lee drama starts hopeful, turns very dark.
  • R
  • 2012
  • 121 minutes
Save
Rate movie
Watch or buy

Parents say

No reviews yetAdd your rating

Kids say

No reviews yetAdd your rating
X of Y
Official trailer
Red Hook Summer

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

Red Hook Summer is an exceedingly complex movie, as muddled as real life, but one of its strongest themes is that faith -- whether in God, in other people, or in yourself -- can provide forgiveness and understanding.

Positive Role Models & Representations

The main character, Flik, doesn't have a clear journey over the course of the film, but he makes a couple of small gestures toward the end that suggest that he's learned something about being a good person. Bishop Enoch Rouse is presented as a good person, but viewers learn that he has a dark and horrifying past that's difficult to forgive, even though he's worked very hard to heal himself and atone for his sins.

Violence

The movie's most disturbing scene is a flashback of suggested sexual violence committed by a grown man upon a 12 year-old boy (a minor character); nothing is actually shown. In another scene, three street thugs beat up the bishop, with bleeding head wounds. Also many scenes of tense arguing and/or yelling. In one scene, an adult argues with a pre-teen boy and pushes him up against a door frame. A dead rat is shown.

Sex

The term "sucking off" is used. Also some innuendo, such as mentions of girls getting pregnant.

Language

Language is fairly sparse until the final stretch, when "s--t" is used more than once, as well as "c--ksucker" and "motherf----r." One secondary character says the "N" word and "goddamn" several times. "Bastard" is heard once. "Butt" and "hell" are used many times.

Consumerism

The main character carries an iPad everywhere, shoots videos on it, and mentions its name more than once. Facebook and Twitter are mentioned several times. Characters wear Nike shoes and clothes, and the logo is seen at least once. Tylenol is mentioned once.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A secondary character is shown to be a drunk, mixing wine with cola (he calls it "Jesus juice"), and drinking whisky. "Reefer" is mentioned.

Set limits for violence and more with Plus

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that director Spike Lee's Brooklyn-set drama Red Hook Summer focuses on a 13-year-old boy, a neighborhood girl the same age, and his grandfather -- a bishop in a local church. As the movie reaches its final stretch, there's a subplot about child molesting; even though nothing is actually shown, it's very intense. Language also increases as the film goes along, moving from a few uses of "s--t" and the "N" word to harsher words like "c--ksucker" and "motherf----r." Other violence includes arguments and shouting and a scene of an adult pushing a boy up against a door frame. Sexual innuendo is mild and infrequent (mostly some talk about pregnant girls), but product placement is strong, with frequent use and mention of an Apple iPad in particular, plus some other products. Overall, Red Hook Summer is a film with complex messages that's clearly intended for more mature viewers.

Wondering if Red Hook Summer is OK for your kids?

Set preferences and get age-appropriate recommendations with Common Sense Media Plus. Join now

Continue reading Show less

Stay up to date on new reviews.

Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. Subscribe

User Reviews

  • Parents say
  • Kids say

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Add your rating

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Add your rating

What's the story?

Flik Royale (Jules Brown), a 13-year-old with a comfortable life in Atlanta, is dropped off in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook to spend the summer with his grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse (Clarke Peters). The bishop sends Flik to church and gives him chores, hoping that the boy will find faith. Flik also develops a hot-and-cold friendship with feisty Chazz Morningstar (Toni Lysaith), a girl his own age. Flik tries to keep a cool, detached attitude, but everything changes when a dark secret from the bishop's past comes back to haunt him.

Continue reading Show less

Is it any good?

Red Hook Summer is a strange, meandering, complex movie more along the lines of a minor movie like Lee's Crooklyn than one of his masterpieces. Director Spike Lee calls RED HOOK SUMMER the latest chapter in his "Chronicles of Brooklyn" series, and his famous Do the Right Thing character, pizza delivery man Mookie, makes a cameo appearance. There are no clear character arcs and no three-act dramatic structure, but the movie's messiness comes close to the rhythms of real life.

Lee conjures up a very definite mood, using color filters to emphasize yellows and underlining the New York heat. On the soundtrack, raw hymnals mix with the spare piano music of none other than pop star Bruce Hornsby. And the movie's climax comes as a huge shock after the relative gentleness of the first section. But overall it demonstrates that true faith may be the result of suffering (Flik hasn't known suffering and therefore hasn't needed religion) and that no religious experience comes without some wreckage.

Continue reading Show less

Talk to your kids about ...

  • Families can talk about Red Hook Summer's violence and suggested sexual violence. How shocking is it? How does it affect your perception of the story or the characters?

  • Is the bishop a role model? Does his past deed overshadow the rest of the good he has tried to do?

  • What does Flik learn over the course of the summer?

  • Does this movie encourage faith and religion, or is it more ambiguous?

Continue reading Show less

Movie details

Continue reading Show less

Our editors recommend

Pariah Movie Poster Image
Pariah
Smart, sad, empowering film about a teen coming out.
age 17+
Akeelah and the Bee Movie Poster Image
Akeelah and the Bee
Inspiring drama about a champion speller; OK for tweens.
age 8+
Do the Right Thing Movie Poster Image
Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee's masterwork of racial unrest; discuss with kids.
age 16+

For kids who love drama

Great African American Movies
Drama Movies That Tug at the Heartstrings
See all recommended movie lists

Top advice and articles

5 Tips to Make Family Movie Night a Success
TV and Movies That Celebrate Grit

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate

Streaming options powered by JustWatch

About these links

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support.

Read more

Our ratings are based on child development best practices. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. The star rating reflects overall quality.

Learn how we rate