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 Jr.	...	Lewis Crump
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:

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

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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

The opening and closing scenes are direct references to Rob Reiner's movie Stand by Me.

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Goofs

When Tre drives up to pick up Ricky, the windows on his car are down on both sides. After Ricky gets in, the shot from inside the car shows the window closed.

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Quotes

Ricky: [scratching lotto ticket] damn, nothin.
Tre Styles: what?
Ricky: Nothin, I said I didn't win nothin.
Tre Styles: You gotta be mexican to win that shit.

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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

Spoofed in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

20% Blaxploitation, 80% social commentary

A young 23 year old director named John Singleton burst onto the scene in 91 with his feature debut Boyz N Tha Hood. What a way to start at the top, and work your way down.

Singleton has never truly capitalised on the critical and commercial success of this film, which is unfortunate. This is the film that began the acting careers of both Cuba Gooding Jr. (a future Oscar winner) and rapper Ice Cube, with rock solid support from Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett (who would later co-star together in What's Love Got To Do With It) and Morris Chestnut. It also began a seemingly endless string of imitators that where half as intelligent and twice as violent.