Um - from the description it sounds like an attempt to do the "10 things I Hate About You" treatment on the classic greek play Lysistrata.

No, it's an attempt to do the Spike Lee Joint version of Lysistrata - he's said so himself. Now, I haven't seen this film, so I won't comment on whether or not Spike pulled it off, but the fact that the reviewer makes no note of this coming from a highly stylized play (although he mentions a 'Shakespearean twist' to the dialog) and that the gripes are about a lack of realism makes this seem like another typically uninformed and uneducated review from the Merc.

But hey, why start getting knowledgeable writers now when you've gotten so far without them?

Haha wow, someone got triggered.

Definitely going to have to see this now. A movie that can do this kind of number on some oversensitive affirmative-action case has to be golden.

"Hey, this movie pisses off marginalized people who are routinely shit upon by society. Must be a good thing." Thanks for your contribution, Nosebleed. Are there any other groups of people you enjoy shitting on? The disabled, women? The gays? Keep up the good fight, brother! Without you, who would help keep these uppity people in their place?

Hey Graham, how racist do you have to be to assume that the author is marginalized or shat on (there are plenty of middle-class blacks out there you know) or that her reaction generalizes to the rest of her race?

Whatever, keep lobotomizing yourself trying to be "one of the good ones", sucker.

That photo was all I needed to see to want to go see it. Not sure what the review said...

Nosebleeds suck, but this one is just the worst.

Methinks the reviewer, she doesn't understand what's going on with the movie.

Doing even a cursory Google search reveals that John Cusack's character is based on a real person, a catholic priest who has been working with gangs in Chicago for over 30 years.

A passing history of Spike Lee's films would tell you that he intentionally paints his characters with broad strokes, as to create a somewhat misanthropic worldview (recalling the black 'revolutionaries' in Bamboozled who drank 40s or the fact that every character in Do The Right Thing is purposely an asshole, even Spike himself)

I understand that this author had a visceral reaction to the film. However if i want visceral reactions to tough movies ill talk to my friends. I wanted a researched and well thought out review of what seems to be a wild and vastly original, if flawed and possibly problematic, piece of art.

@Nosebleed: You stating that middle-class blacks don't experience racism is the single dumbest thing I've read today. Congrats on winning that prize.

Wow, that's a lot of bros lining up to tell you how wrong you are about a Spike Lee movie. O, brave new world!

nice shifting goalposts there, grahamcracker

I've had just about enough of your microagressions!

I think Cinema 21 would be grossly insulted by your exaggeration of ticket pricing. It merely costs $8.50 to see a film there.