4 Little Girls

Play trailer

4 Little Girls

Released Jul 9, 1997

1h 42m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

On Sunday, September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed by four members of a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated racist group. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, four African-American girls between the ages of 11 and 14 who had been attending the church's Sunday school, were killed in the blast. Director Spike Lee's somber 1997 documentary tells the story through new interviews and archival footage.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

4 Little Girls finds Spike Lee moving into documentary filmmaking with his signature style intact -- and all the palpable fury the subject requires.

Read Critics Reviews

John Leonard

New York Magazine/Vulture

Only a filmmaker so resourceful, so entirely confident in his practiced craft, could have made such a quilt out of patches of nightmare and nostalgia -- of gospels, ghosts, and grief.

Feb 1, 2018

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

There isn't an ounce of flab or hype, and the story it tells is profoundly affecting.

Sep 22, 2008

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

A compelling, straightforward account of a deeply sorrowful and pivotal event in the civil rights movement.

May 16, 2008

Full Review

Thrillist Entertainment Staff

Thrillist

4 Little Girls is a masterpiece that needs to be seen and remembered.

Nov 28, 2018

Full Review

Rob Nelson

City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Spike Lee has launched another perfectly timed counteroffensive: a calmly wrenching mix of oral history and period newsreels.

Aug 20, 2009

Full Review

Film4

It's presented with Lee's usual intelligence and clarity as he skilfully mixes politics with moving reminders of the lives it affects.

Sep 22, 2008

Full Review

Read all reviews

Hanik_ F

so inteleggent film for 4 little girls, omg its very good

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Anindya Salwa F

wow, that's amazing, the movie is so cool, very good

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

tugas2022 T

So good film i like this action

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Gaa bikin bosen film nya

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

Audience Member

All dol respect to the victims - of this senseless act of cowardice, but it really was a snooze. I understand that there needs to be time given to talk about the family members and so on, but I really could not keep myself engaged while all of that was going on. I do know that in '97 things weren't 100% what they are now in TV but still, all the reasons in the world wouldn't make this interesting and God knows there is a lot to dive into with a church bombing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Watched this tonight on what is the 57th anniversary of the Birmingham church bombing. Excellent documentary with interviews of the families affected by this senseless terrorist act. There is a clip with Bill Cosby being interviewed though that I'll bet Spike wishes he could take back.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Spike Lee

Director

Maxine McNair

Self

Helen Pegues

Self

Harold McNair

Self

Sheila Nevins

Executive Producer

Sam Pollard

Producer

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

100%

94%

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

Watchlist

Revelations: Paradise Lost 2

92%

84%

Revelations: Paradise Lost 2

Watchlist

Jim Brown: All-American

57%

82%

Jim Brown: All-American

Watchlist

Waco: The Rules of Engagement

88%

86%

Waco: The Rules of Engagement

Watchlist

Regret to Inform

94%

76%

Regret to Inform

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critical Consensus: "Music" Is Catchy; "Bridge" Is Sturdy; "Girls" Is So-So; "Breach" Is Tense; Guess "Ghost Rider" Tomatometer

Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of

View more photos

Synopsis

On Sunday, September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed by four members of a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated racist group. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, four African-American girls between the ages of 11 and 14 who had been attending the church's Sunday school, were killed in the blast. Director Spike Lee's somber 1997 documentary tells the story through new interviews and archival footage.

Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Sam Pollard
Distributor: Direct Cinema Limited
Production Co: 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Home Box Office (HBO)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $130.1K
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

Most Popular at Home Now