Rating: 
Summary: Merely a Satire
Review: I have read some of the reviews to this film, and for the life of me, can't understand why some are so quick to lable both this move and Spike Lee "racist". I think it is much easier to throw a negitive lable on this film rather than set aside one's own prejudiced and close minded ideas to understand the oveall message in it. I don't beleive this movie is a manifestation of Lee's racist ideas and beliefs, but more a manifestation of the prejudices that circulate within ethnic groups throughout America. Instead of using the more passive, politically correct approach, Lee uses satire (*the use of wit, especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to attack the vices and follies of humankind). Although satire is a bit arduous to comprehend at first, once one has grasped the concept, the message becomes clear. This was a very relevent film for the time, and still is today. I recommend this film, and much of Lee's work to anyone willing to consider the blatant truth about mankind in America.
Rating: 
Summary: Paradoxically good/bad; misses the mark, but beautifully
Review: I must be one of the only people who felt Spike essentially missed themark with this film, regarding the particular issue he wanted to address. The film is altogether wonderful, even with the double plot of the main character Wesley Snipes' brother (played by Sam L. Jackson) being an irredemable crack addict and the resulting spiral downward. But Spike raised more fundamental psychological questions than he could possibly answer by virtue of how heavy handed he seemed to be with his delivery.Wesley plays and upwardly mobile, highly educated architect who up until being almost forced to work with the temp assistant Annabella Sciorra, is a model- albeit a bit shallow- African-American citizen. He is married, and has a wonderful romantic and tremendously healthy sexual relationship with his wife- so much so that she must explain what all those heated sounds of her orgasms are to their daughter, who laughs with the naive wisdom of a child in the near presence of their hero parents' expressions of love. He is an important member of the architectural firm in which he works and makes a great salary; good enough, in fact, to take care of his wife and raise his daughter in an absolutely beautiful brownstone in Harlem while wearing some of the most beautiful Italian suits I have ever seen. He is, even with the inherent dysfunction of his family ever ready to rear its ugly head in his inner life, a walking Black American dream (Ossie Davis plays his judgemental and sexually hypocritical minister father; Ruby Dee his close-your-eyes-and-take-it-for-the-good-of-your-family Minister's wife mother; Sam Jackson the crack addict older brother). Beyond the fact that Spike immediately began to lose me with the idea that any man could cheat on a woman as drop-dead gorgeous as Lonette McKee (his wife) with ANYONE for practically any reason, it just didn't make any sense for Wesley's character to sacrifice such a uniquely semi-idyllic life for such an easily controllable *disease* as "jungle fever". At no time was any discord in his marriage shown or represented; again, he and his wife were hitiin' it and hittin' it hard practically every night when they got home from work as if they were newlyweds, and their daughter- the product of their love- was at least eight years old. His dissatisfaction over being passed over at his firm from becoming partner, if anything reaffirmed and AMPLIFIED his masculine sense of self and his abilties, as it was made pretty clear that it was the stupidity and latent racism of his bosses that were the only factors behind holding him back, not any lack of talent or integrity. (There is one scene, before he resigns, that he walks through the office yelling "Mine!", "Mine!" at all the pictures of the finished projects that form the economic foundation of the firm for which he works, beacuse they were HIS projects.) So not even his masculine ego was suffering such that he needed an adulterous fling with new young flesh to feel like a man again. And a Black architect in Harlem (like a stock broker on investment banker)? Current statistics report that there are at least eight eligible Black women for every LOSER of a Black man in the U.S. today (let alone for every unhappy white woman looking to get caught up in the theme of the movie for a little while); an architect who looks like Wesley Snipes could have had virtually any beautiful woman in his bed from the day he got back from his honeymoon to the first day of the movie. Yet he tells Annabella Sciorra one night while they are working- knowing his desire for her has (somehow) become uncontrollable- "You know, I've never cheated on my wife." Almost needless to say, the acting in this movie, including Nicholas Turturro in an actually Platonic black/white relationship that probably could have been the focal one for the film- along with much of the direction, cinematography, and father Lee's (and Terrance Blanchard's) music score- is out of this world. They are all so good, in fact, they have you enjoy the movie to such a degree that, maybe, one is inclined to ignore the fact that Spike didn't say what he tried to say very well. That is why I say this particular Spike Lee film is paradoxically good and bad simultaneously. A white reviewer couldn't have gotten away with saying it was bad on these grounds when the movie came out, regardless of its good points, I don't think (both Siskel and Ebert praised it unanimously- almost defensively- without mentioning any of this). Neither could a Black male one who has ever been seen in a restaurant with a white woman (like the scene in which the mutli-talented Queen Latifah as a waitress curses Wesley's character out for taking his now white mistress to Sylvia's in Harlem); unless of course he was caught up in some politically ultra-conservative neurosis and expectedly proved Spike's point via the hypocrises of his life by default. Because of that, I think they all played it safe and reviewed Spike's courage for talking about what to this day still can't be talked about rationally in society, instead of the actual film. Spike Lee treated the attraction to the opposite sex of the opposite race in America with such anachronistic disdain that he made it into a complete and totally irredeemable disease that doesn't just effect people but completely destroys them. Jungle fever, as expressed in the movie, in light of how implausibly it began with the two characters, the outside people it touched and the resultant wrecking of their mutual lives, looks more like schizophrenia than a social issue borne out of the country's sex-based racist past. Because of that, the movie, ironically, subliminally challenged me- as it will probably challenge everyone who watches it consciously- to defend the possibility that, just maybe, two people from different races could actually fall in love in an inconvenient way and time. Throughout the entire movie I kept feeling a litle part of my mind condemn Snipes' character for all his actions, but simultaneously and irrationally defend the entire concept of miscegenation; something I never did (because I was never inclined to) before the movie. The sub-plot of Sam Jackson's spiral into madness and death via drug addiction becomes a metaphor for the main plot, and therefore the voice of Spike's heavy handed- and because of which ineffective- moral pronouncement. He obviously saw wanting or loving white women if you're Black (or vice versa) as a drug with no nutritional or redemptive value, purely addictive and destructive; something that must be run from like the plague- like the way children are supposed to run from strangers- at all costs: the exact philosophy practically every drug ADDICT (and dabbler into promiscuous race-tabu sex) had before they got "hooked". In other words, Spike brought up more uncomfortable questions and psychological issues than maybe even he realized; the kind that he couldn't answer in the film, but made the necessity to do so so strong that not doing so created the film's near fatal flaw. Seeing nothing essentially wrong with being with a woman of the "opposite" race if there are authentic feelings involved (and it isn't out of infidelity), and even if it is just physical attraction, is one of the prinicpal reasons why I have never had the desire. For me personally, with nothing constantly reminding me of the tabu, there is nothing to take my focus away from what I actually love most: my (coincidentally Black, like all the ones before her) girlfriend. Spike seemed to want people to feel and behave otherwise; which feeds on the very problem the film is underscoring. Again, anyone watching this film will truly enjoy the ensemble acting, etc. Everyone is great in it. If the film troubles you ever so slightly though, it may not be becuase of what you have heard about it regarding our society's historical problem with the issue that is brought up. It may be becuase of what peole feel they better not say. Because saying it incorrectly, whether you're Black or white, man or woman, could still have them quietly judged almost as harshly as the main characters of the film were openly, in their own respective worlds. We really don't know what Spike thinks of the subject matter he presented, as much as we (or he) would like to believe.
Rating:
Summary: How things have changed...
Review: I think Do the Right Thing is Spike Lee's best movie, and the early 1990s was a time where Spike was making his movies with a message. Do the Right Thing is a movie that stands the test of time in my opinion, because so much of it rings so true, it's incredibly funny, and heartbreaking at the same time. Lee received a lot of flak for that movie while making it. When it came out, it shut everybody up.
About one year after that, Jungle Fever was released. It was definitely a big deal at the time - a movie about a black man and an Italian woman in a relationship in NYC, a city at the time still basically reeling from the well-known racist killings of two black men at the hands of Italians in their neighborhoods. So this whole interracial thing and the ramifications of it seemed groundbreaking at the time. I watched this movie the other day and marveled in terms of the interracial aspect of it how much of it is just not the case anymore in 2003 America. It was a big deal for a black man to be seen with a white woman. Now, it's totally taboo, and desired, and nobody really cares. I mean, I actually found myself giggling during the movie and saying to myself, "Come on, now. It's not even like that!" Okay. A quick review of the movie: Wesley Snipes stars as Flipper, who starts an affair (for no damn good reason) with a white temp worker, Angie, played by Annabella Sciorra, and then has to deal with the repercussions of it. In the midst of this are storylines with Flipper's brother and his drug use, his strict bible-thumping father, and other storylines with Angie's folks, part-time boyfriend, etc. Spike Lee's ensemble cast is featured, and they do not disappoint. Samuel L. Jackson is absolutely fantastic as the crack addcited brother. His performance is both hilarious and pitiful, Ossie Davis is wonderful in his role (hated the actions of his character at the end, though, did he go to the slammer? He should've), John Turturro is excellent (when is he not? Absolutely phenomenal in Do the Right Thing, btw), and the list goes on and on. Fortunately, these actors all balance out Wesley Snipes who is basically ineffective in his performance. In my opinion, he just can't act. You feel so sympathy for him as he has to deal with his wife and all her anger about the affair, you don't care about him and his issues with his job, and everything else he goes through. And I think we're SUPPOSED to care and sympathize with this guy, I just think Snipes was just unable to pull off the role. BTW, Annabella Sciorra is excellent. On another note: much has been made of Halle Berry's performance in this movie, how groundbreaking it was, etc. Not! She is totally overrated in this movie. All she does is act crazy, fire off expletives and the like to the point of annoyance. She has proven herself to be a good actress in movies following this, but in this one, give me a break. It's Samuel L. Jackson who makes that storyline, let me tell you. The bottom line is if you watch this movie around Wesley Snipes, you can actually enjoy it. It gets a little long-winded at points, but the performances are pretty good. Some other performance notes, the little girl who plays Snipes and McKee's daughter Ming (someone explain the chinese name for this black child to me, please?), annoying! I know she was young, but she was totally not cute, though she tries very hard to be. Totally irrelevant to my review of the movie, I just wanted to say that I found her incredibly annoying and not cute.
Rating:
Summary: BEST SPIKE MOVIE EVER!!
Review: I'm a Spike Lee fan and i have to admit that this is his best work ever! I'm a teenager and ever since this movie came out I had always wanted to see it. I finally saw it 2 hours ago and I thought it was excellent. I'm a big fan of Sam Jackson and I think in a way he stole the show. Everybody played their part accordingly specially Anthony Quinn and Lonette McKeen. This actors did a great job and I do think this is an "underrated masterpiece." This movie has been overlooked by some people and I think it deserves way more reviews than it has received. The issue of white/black dating was discussed throughout this movie and I loved the scene where the "girls" were talking in the living room about why they thought black men dated white women. Go rent this movie now if you haven't seen it and if you don't liek it then you're crazy!
Rating: 
Summary: Bungle in the Jungle
Review: It's hard to believe that Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever could be controversial,considering it was written and directed post 1990. Intimate interracial relationships should'nt shake anyone's apple tree but they do! Lee wisely chooses Wesley Snipes,an underrated actor who also underplays this role as the male love interest beautifully. Annabella Sciorra,a ravishing Italian american actress fills out the female end of the story playing Snipe's love interest. She's also underrated,having been in far too few films. This movie gave her something to sink her teeth into.The story begins with Snipes character,an architect successful yet frustrated with his employer but happily married to an african american woman.Being black himself,this is a pretty traditional union for two people of color. Enter Sciorra,an Italian american woman from a working class area of New York City(yes,Italian american in real life as well as her character)who lives with her father and two brothers. Sure,she has a white boyfriend but it's not a particularly passionate relationship;however,things really heat up for her and the architect when she gets hired as his assistant. At first he really does'nt want an assistant nor does he care for her. Still,he tells his boss that she can hang on there at the office anyway. A couple nights after she starts,they order chinese food after work and before you can say chopsticks they're getting very sweaty on his desk. This is a rare treat,one of the finest scenes of intimacy I have ever seen. So they continue to see one another in a clandestine fashion. A few weeks later,the cat is out of the bag and her brothers ans father find out about the affair. It takes a strong constitution to watch what ensues;her father works up a sweat too,but it's none too pleasant. He beats her and all fury breaks loose,because her racist family can't bear the thought of sister/daughter dating a black man. Spike Lee's direction is impeccable and his statement is powerful. Will they be able to continue seeing eachother? Does his wife know or care? Will Sciorra's character be staying with her family or is it time to move? Of course I won't tell what happens at the end but one thing's for sure,racism is alive and kicking today as it always has been.
Rating:
Summary: One Movie That, Sadly, Will Not Become Outdated
Review: It's very easy to boil this movie down to a simple description of interation tension but there are other things going on that people can appreciate beyond that. I have loved this movie for years but as I watched it again last night I saw things I had never seen before. For once the music in a movie had a point and was not simply there. The counter-balance of Stevie Wonder with Frank Sinatra depicting the Black culture with the Italian (not just generic Caucasian) was used powerfully. There were also many actors who are now famous who were not noteworthy in their time - the most obviously being Halle Berry, the almost unrecognizable Samuel L. Jackson and James Baldulucci (sp?). The said thing about this movie is that, although it was made more than a decade ago, these attitudes prevail in many people. One of the finest scenes in the movie is the search that one brother, black almost in skin color only, makes for his older brother through a group of drug addicts. The scene is so vivid that you can almost smell and become nauseated by the way these wretched people (both black and white) are ruining their lives. It is significant because, then, as now, drug addiction has no boundaries - black, white, upper class, and lower class. I would recommend this movie to anyone but I would particularly recommend it to people who are bigotted and believe that intolerance, drugs and violence are limited to a particular group of people. The movie would be hard to take for them, as it is for anyone, but, that's what life for many is like and much, if not all, of that can be changed.
Rating:
Summary: Untitled
Review: Jungle Fever showcases alot of brilliant performances by so many actors involved in this film. The most powerful, disturbing piece of acting is performed by Samuel Jackson as a strung out crackhead. The first time I saw him in this movie it gave me goosebumps. His "devil dance" at the end of the film is so disturbingly frightning, it elevates Samuel's acting to a whole other level. Spike Lee is a genious and he gets the most out of his actors. i absolutely love and admire his filmaking. The movie is an emotional rollercoaster. Don't be misled, it's not only about interracial dating, it also examines the psychological affects interracial dating has on the family. This movie probes into the lives of all the other people involved. Creatively directed and rich with color and a timeless soundtrack by Stevie Wonder, Jungle Fever is a Spike Lee classic of epic proportions. And you can't beat the price! *No, i don't work for either Spike Lee or Amazon.com, I just think this is a great film!
Rating: 
Summary: Too formulaic and unconvincing
Review: Lee is always brimming with good intentions. Yet as fine as they may be, this film is hardly convincing. The romance between Snipes and Sciorra is not particulary invigorating, the premise is contrived, the metaphorical, two-dimensional atmosphere Spike tries to create is really farcical, and the whole thing is handled rather uncharismatically. Not to mention, it's doggedly overlong and pretentious.
Rating:
Summary: GET "JUNGLE FEVER"
Review: One of Spike Lee's best films, "Jungle Fever" comments more on race relations in America, than on the subject of adultery. Spike is all over the place with his take on male/female relationships, the devastation wrought on a family and the Black community by crack cocaine, the "color line" in the Italian community and interracial relationships. But he seems to pull it all together to make a powerful film and one of the best of the '90s. The acting is terrific with the standout performance being Samuel L. Jackson's as Gator, Wesley Snipes ill fated brother. He's charming, comical and evil all at once. And Wesley showed his range as an actor through his performance as Flipper, the "good son," who has a momentary lapse in character and has an affair with his secretary, Annabella Sciorra. All the performances are great and the actors get you to care about the characters they present. Wesley's performance came after the strong work he did as Nino Brown in "New Jack City" and I don't remember an actor "flippin' the script" on the movie going public like that, going from evil to good, in one year in a long time. You could look at Flipper and Angie as symbols of Black and White America, trying to come together and the obstacles we face as a nation when we don't deal with the issue of race honestly. Something we're still going through. This film also deals with our dishonesty with dealing with the drug problem too, and this is where Spike deserves credit. No one is left unexamined by this tale of life and there are no happy endings either from Gator being murdered by his father, to Flipper and Angie breaking up. I love how Spike begins and ends the movie. Spike shows in the beginning a couple, obviously in love, in Wesley and Lonnette Mc Kee, (in a strong, small supporting role as Drew) that leads you to believe nothing could tear them apart. When you get to the end, Wesley and Lonnette are trying to make a go at it, but through Lonnette's tears, you see she's just going through the motions, hoping to put away the pain through the lovemaking. When she tells him "he better leave now," you can tell the hurt she's experienced can't be "loved away" like he'd like. Critics of this film usually state Spike should have stuck to telling one story. What must be said is that while Spike explores a range of contemporary issues in this film, he has made a film of power and emotion, that definitely draws an opinion out of you, one way or another. An underrated, overlooked masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: GET "JUNGLE FEVER"
Review: One of Spike Lee's best films, "Jungle Fever" comments more on race relations in America, than on the subject of adultery. Spike is all over the place with his take on male/female relationships, the devastation wrought on a family and the Black community by crack cocaine, the "color line" in the Italian community and interracial relationships. But he seems to pull it all together to make a powerful film and one of the best of the '90s. The acting is terrific with the standout performance being Samuel L. Jackson's as Gator, Wesley Snipes ill fated brother. He's charming, comical and evil all at once. And Wesley showed his range as an actor through his performance as Flipper, the "good son," who has a momentary lapse in character and has an affair with his secretary, Annabella Sciorra. All the performances are great and the actors get you to care about the characters they present. Wesley's performance came after the strong work he did as Nino Brown in "New Jack City" and I don't remember an actor "flippin' the script" on the movie going public like that, going from evil to good, in one year in a long time. You could look at Flipper and Angie as symbols of Black and White America, trying to come together and the obstacles we face as a nation when we don't deal with the issue of race honestly. Something we're still going through. This film also deals with our dishonesty with dealing with the drug problem too, and this is where Spike deserves credit. No one is left unexamined by this tale of life and there are no happy endings either from Gator being murdered by his father, to Flipper and Angie breaking up. I love how Spike begins and ends the movie. Spike shows in the beginning a couple, obviously in love, in Wesley and Lonnette Mc Kee, (in a strong, small supporting role as Drew) that leads you to believe nothing could tear them apart. When you get to the end, Wesley and Lonnette are trying to make a go at it, but through Lonnette's tears, you see she's just going through the motions, hoping to put away the pain through the lovemaking. When she tells him "he better leave now," you can tell the hurt she's experienced can't be "loved away" like he'd like. Critics of this film usually state Spike should have stuck to telling one story. What must be said is that while Spike explores a range of contemporary issues in this film, he has made a film of power and emotion, that definitely draws an opinion out of you, one way or another. An underrated, overlooked masterpiece.
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