Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Joseph B. Vasquez

Writer:

Joseph B. Vasquez (writer)

Release Date:

5 April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Two African-Americans and two Puerto-Ricans (though one pretends to be Italian) go out on the town on a Friday night...

Plot Keywords:

Puerto Rican | African American | Race Relations | Blacks Versus Italians | New York City

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Doug E. Doug	...	Willie Stevens
Mario Joyner	...	Tom McNeal
John Leguizamo	...	Johnny
Nestor Serrano	...	Vinny / Fernando
Kimberly Russell	...	Vanessa
Mary B. Ward	...	Luna
Reggie Montgomery	...	Rasta
Christine Claravall	...	Daria
Rose Jackson	...	Lila
Steven Randazzo	...	Pedro
Marisol R. Reyes	...	Sara
Victor L. Cook	...	Louie-Louie
LaTanya Richardson	...	Caseworker
Clayton Prince	...	Frederick
Ellis Williams	...	Bobby

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Juno Pix

Trivia:

Joseph B. Vasquez wrote the script in three days. He originally wrote the part of Vinny for himself to play.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the car crash, the hood of Tommy's car pops up before he hits the wall.

Quotes:

Tom McNeal: I wouldn't dance with you even if you didn't look like a sabertooth tiger. Bitch!

Movie Connections:

References Rain Man (1988)

Soundtrack:

Look the Other Way

It's funny AND it makes you think...the ultimate combo!

To me, this movie seems less of a "comedy which makes you think", and more of a powerfully in depth character study, which is always making you laugh. But enough pigeon-holing.

This movie is all characters. The key element, for mine, is the symmetry between them. Four guys. Two black guys, two Hispanic. Two with (pathetic) jobs, two without. Two with more than women on their minds, two without. Because the symmetrical dynamic is always switching, we are always privy to meaningful dialogue, and witness powerful confrontations. That is, the director doesn't just make his point in the first 30 minutes, but is always reevaluating his characters, and their struggles.

Each viewer will no doubt have a favourite character, and his journey will be of most interest and focus. The beauty of this movie, however, is that none of the characters are developed at the expense of another. All are richly detailed, and, if you are like me, your focal character may change with every viewing.

None of the characters are overly likeable; we are always confronted with scenes which really demonstrate their failings and shortcomings. Herein lies the strength of the film. Unlike so many other "cool" and "wacky" comedies, these characters have real depth, and we can't. as honest viewers, think any one of the characters are summed up by the words "cool" or "wacky" or any other simplistic assessment that can easily be applied to characters in so many other movies (and fairly, too). They are all distinct in many ways. The most notable example is each character's technique in dealing with the inherent racism of their society. The most fascinating character here is Vinnie, as he chooses rather than confronting this difficult problem, to deny it even applies to him: "He thinks he's Italian".

My only request when seeing this movie, is not to fall into the trap of missing an appreciation of its depth. Sure, it's got a "cool" title, they just cruise around doing cool stuff ("Jose sent me" is such a good idea!), and they say cool one liners. But beyond that, the characters are at once frustrating and liberating, enjoyable and unlikeable, but most of all, they are all very human, very real.