Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Saga of a group of childhood friends growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto.

Director:

John Singleton

Writer:

John Singleton

Stars:

Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II, Laurence Fishburne

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hudhail Al-Amir	...	S.A.T. Man
Lloyd Avery II	...	Knucklehead #2
Angela Bassett	...	Reva Styles
Mia Bell	...	Female Club Member
Lexie Bigham	...	Mad Dog
Kenneth A. Brown	...	Little Chris
Nicole Brown	...	Brandi - Age 10
Ceal	...	Sheryl
Morris Chestnut	...	Ricky Baker
Darneicea Corley	...	Keisha
John Cothran	...	Lewis Crump (as John Cothran Jr.)
Ice Cube	...	Doughboy / Darren
Na'Blonka Durden	...	Trina (as Na' Blonka Durden)
Susan Falcon	...	Mrs. Olaf
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Officer Coffey (as Jesse Ferguson)

Storyline

John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | violence | south central los angeles | drugs | ghetto | 

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Taglines:

Once upon a time in South Central L.A. ... It ain't no fairy tale

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los dueños de la calle

Filming Locations:

Cimarron St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$57,504,069 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ice Cube's second son (Darrel Jackson) uses the stage name Doughboy in real life as homage to his father's portrayal in the film. Cube's oldest son (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) goes by his stage name OMG.

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Goofs

When Furious is talking to Little Chris about raking his leaves, Chris is kneeling on his skateboard. In the next shot he is standing up holding it.

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Quotes

Officer Coffey: Something wrong?
Furious Styles: Something wrong? Yeah. It's just too bad you don't know what it is... *Brother*.

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Crazy Credits

After the epilogue of what happens to Doughboy and Tre, the words "Boyz n the Hood: Increase the Peace" appears onscreen

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Connections

Referenced in The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars' (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Jam on It"
Written by M.B. Cenac
Performed by Newcleus
Courtesy of Rhino Records, Inc.

User Reviews

hood ornaments, but this is more than an ornament

It's hard to believe that John Singleton's work degenerated so in later years, because his debut was a masterpiece. We probably all have to agree that "Boyz n the Hood" was basically the first "growing up in the ghetto" movie, showing how these African-American youths are surrounded by violence during their childhoods - some perpetrated by the cops, some is their own doing - but they all have to find a way to keep going. If the movie has any problem, it's that it opened the flood gates to a series of similar inferior movies (but also the hilarious satire "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood").

Anyway, this is the one that I recommend. Cuba Gooding Jr. made a very good debut. Also starring Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long and Angela Bassett.