Boyz n the Hood

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This article is about the 1991 film. For the song by rapper Eazy-E, see Boyz-n-the-Hood. For the rap quartet White, see Boyz n da Hood.
Boyz n the Hood

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Singleton
Produced by Steven Nicolaides
Written by John Singleton
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr.
Ice Cube
Morris Chestnut
Laurence Fishburne
Angela Basset
Nia Long
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) July 12, 1991
Running time 102 min.
Language English
Budget $6,000,000
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Boyz n the Hood is an Academy Award-nominated 1991 hood film directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Nia Long, and Morris Chestnut, the film depicts life in economically deprived South Central (now South) Los Angeles, California, and was filmed and released in the summer of 1991. It was nominated for both Best Director and Original Screenplay during the 1991 Academy Awards, making John Singleton the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director and the first African-American to be nominated for the award.

In 2002, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.[1]

The film's title is taken from the name of an Eazy-E song, "Boyz-n-the-Hood".

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Plot summary

The film is divided into two halves. The first half takes place in 1984 with 10-year-old Tre Styles (Desi Arnez Hines II) who, after getting into a fight at school, is sent by his mother, Reva Devereaux (Angela Bassett), to live with his father in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles. His father, Jason "Furious" Styles (Laurence Fishburne), is a strict but loving father. While there, Tre bonds with two friends, half brothers Ricky (Donovan McCrary) and Darin (also known as Doughboy), and their single mother, Brenda Baker (Tyra Ferrell).

The second half of the film takes place in 1991. Doughboy (now played by Ice Cube) has just been released from prison and spends most of the time hanging out in the neighborhood with Monster and Dooky. Ricky (now played by Morris Chestnut) is a star running back at Crenshaw High School. He has a son with his girlfriend Shanice (Alysia Rogers) and is being recruited by the University of Southern California, but needs to earn a minimum SAT score of 700 to receive an athletic scholarship. Tre (now played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) also attends Crenshaw High School with Ricky and also has a girlfriend, Brandi (Nia Long). Tension exists between the two because he wants to have a sexual relationship with Brandi, who resists the idea because of her Catholic faith.

Themes of the second half of the film deal with gentrification, police brutality and gang violence.

[edit] Themes

One theme is the benefit of a strong father figure on young black males. As Furious tells Tre: "Any fool with a dick can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children". Of Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy, only Tre's father is present in his everyday life (Ricky and Doughboy, though brothers, have different fathers). He leads a very different life than his two friends because of his father's guidance. His decisions, especially not to partake in the revenge of Ricky's death, happen because of the morals instilled in him.

The film deals largely with the seemingly unstoppable violence that plagues urban life. It is set in South Central Los Angeles, where Tre's father owns a house. The neighborhood is a violent one; the sounds of shootings and patrolling helicopters are heard often and even something as common as a passing car can mean death. The police that patrol the neighborhood seem indifferent to the notion of preventing crime. Early in the film, Furious frightens off a would-be thief with the pistol he keeps in a shoebox under his bed. The police, arriving an hour after Furious' call, do not seem concerned about the effect of the crime on the people they are supposed to protect. Additionally, the African American officer possesses a combative personality and has a tense exchange with Furious about the proper execution of his job. (As a teenager, Tre is pulled over by the same policeman while fleeing gunfire on Crenshaw Boulevard and the officer threatens him with his pistol, an act of police misconduct. This officer was based on a black officer encountered by John Singleton while growing up in South Central Los Angeles.) The officer's remarks to Tre's father at the beginning of the film (the officer wishes Furious's shot would've killed the man) show a belief that law enforcement is lazy and corrupt.

Tre also grapples with the moral implications of teenage sexuality. As a young man, and due no doubt to peer pressure, it is important to lose one's virginity. Tre's girlfriend, Brandi, has strongly resisted Tre's demands to have sex with her, mostly due to her own beliefs as a Catholic. It is clear that Tre has no wish to follow the path of Ricky, who fathered a son with his own girlfriend. Additionally, Tre's father gives him a tough lecture on the responsibilities and perils of becoming sexually active after Tre tells him a fabricated story about his first instance of sexual intercourse. The conversation arose from an off-handed remark by Tre about his future children, which causes some anxiety in his father who does not want to become a grandfather in his mid-30s.

The main theme in the movie is to "increase the peace" and is shown at the closing credits, as well as being hinted in the beginning segment when the audience is presented with a "STOP" sign.

Other themes present but not covered as extensively include gentrification of poor neighborhoods, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, equality in college admission, and cultural bias in standardized testing.

[edit] MPAA Rating

Boyz n the Hood is Rated R for language, violence and sexuality.

[edit] Awards

Academy Awards 1992

  • Nominee, Best Director, John Singleton
  • Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, John Singleton

BMI Film Music Award 1992

Image Award 1993

  • Winner, Outstanding Motion Picture, Boyz n the Hood

MTV Movie Award 1992

  • Nominee, Best Movie, Boyz n the Hood
  • Winner, Best New Filmmaker, John Singleton

National Film Preservation Board, USA 2002

  • National Film Registry, Boyz n the Hood

New York Film Critics Circle Award 1991

  • Winner, Best New Director, John Singleton

Political Film Society, USA 1992

  • Winner, PFS Award, Peace
  • Nominee, PFS Award, Exposé
  • Nominee, PFS Award, Human Rights

Writers Guild of America, USA 1992

  • Nominee, WGA Award (Screen), Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, John Singleton]

Young Artist Awards 1992

  • Winner, Young Artist Award, Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

In 2007, Boyz n the Hood was selected as on of the 50 Films To See Before You Die by Channel 4

[edit] Soundtrack

The following is the track list to the almost completely hip hop exclusive soundtrack to Boyz n the Hood. Notable tracks include "Every Single Weekend," Kam's first appearance on record and "How to Survive in South Central," an Ice Cube song that later appeared on the remastered version of Death Certificate.

  1. "How to Survive in South Central" by Ice Cube
  2. "Just Ask Me To" by Tevin Campbell featuring Chubb Rock
  3. "Mama Don't Take No Mess" by Yo-Yo
  4. "Growin' Up in the Hood" by Compton's Most Wanted
  5. "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball (Remix)" by Main Source
  6. "Me and You" by Tony! Toni! Toné!
  7. "Work It Out" by Monie Love
  8. "Every Single Weekend" by Kam
  9. "Too Young" by Hi-Five
  10. "Hangin' Out" by 2 Live Crew
  11. "It's Your Life" by Too Short
  12. "Spirit (Does Anybody Care?)" by Force One Network
  13. "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" by Quincy Jones
  14. "Black on Black Crime" by Stanley Clarke

[edit] References


[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by John Singleton

Boyz n the Hood • (1991) Poetic Justice • (1993) Higher Learning • (1995) Rosewood • (1997) Shaft • (2000) Baby Boy • (2001) 2 Fast 2 Furious • (2003) Four Brothers • (2005) Luke Cage (TBA) Tulia (TBA)