Capturing Manhattan's essence is easy. But capturing life inside provincial New York City -- is something that eludes most filmmakers...And now add Brooklyn Rules to the short list of movies that get it right.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Jul 2007
rotten:
Whether it's read as an exclamation of borough pride or as a set of unwritten laws governing its residents, the movie takes a well-trodden path in chronicling the lives of three Italian American friends, circa 1985.
– Kevin Crust,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Sep 2007
rotten:
However authentic and heartfelt this film's depiction of life on the meaner streets of the Northeast corridor may be, it doesn't begin to match The Sopranos' epic vision of violence, class struggle and upward mobility in a barbarous culture.
– Stephen Holden,
New York Times,
22 Sep 2007
rotten:
Aggressively derivative.
– Melissa Anderson,
Time Out New York,
22 Sep 2007
rotten:
A sometimes funny, occasionally maudlin coming-of-age dramedy that wants to be Goodfellas but might have been called Mild in the Streets.