Chris Rock talks about his neighborhood, courtesy Showtime
BROOKLYN BOHEME
Friendly Rating: Older elementary and up
Safety Rating: Foul language across the spectrum, not bleeped
Quality Rating: It’s got a lot going for it
Documentary film airs on Showtime tonight at 8:30 p.m.
It’s not the fastest moving movie in the world, but there are several things I like about Brooklyn Boheme, not the least being that it provides a whole different look at African American culture and history. This being Black History Month, we’re going to be getting a fair amount of that, which has its pluses (namely that we’re seeing it at all) and minuses (why do we only acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of African Americans during one month of the year and the shortest at that?).
This movie, however, looks at a bunch of upwardly mobile Blacks who landed in this one Brooklyn neighborhood and how that seemed to foster quite the explosion of creativity and commercial success. This was the place where Spike Lee grew up and made his movies. Chris Rock spent part of his childhood here. And in the 1980s and 90s, it was a place that fostered all kinds of African American artists, including the film’s nexus, writer, director and historian Nelson George.
There is plenty of foul language sprinkled throughout, but the key is sprinkled. Whether it’s appropriate is borderline and ultimately up to you to decide.
But what I liked most about the film is that it isn’t about slavery or civil rights. In no way do I want to suggest that we forget about those realities. However, there is a whole lot more to African American culture and history than those two events and this movie celebrates that. It’s about time, too. Now, if we could get a good look at the Harlem Rennaissance airing in, say, May, we’d be making more progress.
