Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

82% Tomatometer 151 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings

The girlfriend (Teyonah Parris) of a Chicago gang leader (Nick Cannon) persuades other frustrated women to abstain from sex until their men agree to end the senseless cycle of violence.

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Chi-Raq

Chi-Raq

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Critics Consensus

Chi-Raq is as urgently topical and satisfyingly ambitious as it is wildly uneven -- and it contains some of Spike Lee's smartest, sharpest, and all-around entertaining late-period work.

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Critics Reviews

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Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Lori Ro Bitch Media Messy and nauseating. Feb 9, 2021 Full Review Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Adam Nayman The Ringer Everything about Chi-Raq exudes exuberance: the movement of the camera; the West Side Story-style choreography of the two rival factions; the delight the actors display in tearing into their dialogue. Aug 9, 2018 Full Review Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (3) K. Austin Collins Los Angeles Review of Books This is no mere thought experiment. Can satire stop a bullet? Likely not. But it can provoke those of us who haven't, and can. Aug 9, 2017 Full Review Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Carla Renata The Curvy Film Critic Lee always keeps it real and cast actorswho are not only at the top of their game, but physically reflective of the people of color I see when I walk out my front door. Written in Greek fable prose with ingenious quips - it's well worth the journey Jul 24, 2024 Full Review Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Jeffrey Peterson Indie Film Minute Viewers have criticized Spike’s film because of the director’s more recent turn away from commercial film, but I sense that he finds that the violent world around us cannot be ignored. Sep 1, 2023 Full Review Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Jordan Brooks Vague Visages Profoundly funny, shocking, sad and ultimately inspiring, Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq is the rude awakening that America needs to get it together... Aug 1, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (287) audience reviews

TINA B Brilliant re-telling of Lysistrata using today's urban issues. Saw it when it came out, and half the audience was in tears by the end. Definitely underrated by the public. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review Alec B Essentially the problem is that the film clumsily moves between very broad (and mostly unfunny) comedy and really earnest emotional pleas for change without any consistency. It's hard to fault Lee too much for trying something so bold, but this movie simply doesn't work. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/14/23 Full Review steve d I normally love Spike Lee's writing. This one just didn't land for me. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member While Spike Lee's anger, passion, and overall message are admirable, coming across authentic and justified, it is rare that these updated retellings of historical works actually work for me.There was some dialogue I felt quite deeply and other spells that totally lost me, but the concept of portraying the violence in Chicago by retelling the classic Lysistrata made for quite a creative exercise.I had no previous experience with the Lysistrata but even if the film wasn't always hitting the right notes for me it is hard not to feel emotions when forced to consider all the innocent people still dying from this senseless violence.Samuel L. Jackson Binge: This wasn't a large role for Jackson in screen time, but it was important and memorable as he acted as a quasi narrator, setting up many of the scenes or explaining the relative intermittent action taking place off screen. His delivery was epic, as he often spoke in classical verse, dialing up the carefree confidence that makes him so well loved.SLJ January #60 Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Rich S Spike Lee had high aspirations in this film.It's supposed to give us world peace and jobs for everybody by the time the final accord is signed. It's a great dream and one we must have thought at some point was shared by all.But it's fairly evident now that it isn't and it wasn't. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/23/21 Full Review Audience Member wished I'd seen it sooner. agree that it's uneven. The original was pure comedy and so this one's comedy, when injected, causes the unevenness. i was impressed with the very very end's plot twist, which I found clever and hadn't seen coming, but then realized there had been fore shardowing, and actually made a lot of sense. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Spike Lee Director Nick Cannon Chi-Raq Wesley Snipes Cyclops Teyonah Parris Lysistrata Jennifer Hudson Irene Steve Harris Ole Duke
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Chi-Raq

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Chi-Raq

(L-R) Nick Cannon as Chi-Raq in "Chi-Raq." (L-R) Nick Cannon as Chi-Raq in "Chi-Raq." (L-R) Teyonah Parris as Lysistrata in "Chi-Raq." (L-R) Gavin Free as Woody, Colton Dunn as Herman, Michael Jones Zach and Burnie Burns as Hagan in " Lazer Team." Chi-Raq (2015) Chi-Raq (2015) Chi-Raq (2015) Poster Art Chi-Raq (2015) Chi-Raq (2015) View more photos

Synopsis The girlfriend (Teyonah Parris) of a Chicago gang leader (Nick Cannon) persuades other frustrated women to abstain from sex until their men agree to end the senseless cycle of violence.

Director
Spike Lee

Producer
Spike Lee

Screenwriter
Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee

Distributor
Roadside Attractions

Production Co
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Amazon Studios

Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Strong Sexual Dialogue|Nudity|Some Violence|Strong Sexual Content)

Genre
Comedy, Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 4, 2015, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 4, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.6M

Runtime
2h 7m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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Chi-Raq | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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