IMDb >
Fresh (1994)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsFresh (1994) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 9 | slideshow) |
        |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Boaz Yakin (written by)
Release Date:
24 August 1994 (USA)
more
Tagline:
In a world where criminals make the rules an innocent boy is out to beat them at their own game. more
Plot:
Michael (or Fresh as he's well known) is a 12-year-old drug pusher who lives in a crowded house with his cousins and aunt...
more
| add synopsis
Awards:
4 wins
&
3 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(23 articles)
Samuel L. Jackson & The Rock In ‘The Other Guys’
(From Screen Rant. 27 October 2009, 7:15 AM, PDT)
Clifton Collins Jr. Talks Boondock Saints II, The Experiment, Brothers and More
(From MovieWeb. 1 October 2009, 9:05 AM, PDT)
(From Screen Rant. 27 October 2009, 7:15 AM, PDT)
Clifton Collins Jr. Talks Boondock Saints II, The Experiment, Brothers and More
(From MovieWeb. 1 October 2009, 9:05 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Boy in the 'Hood
more (52 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Sean Nelson | ... | Fresh |
 | Giancarlo Esposito | ... | Esteban |
 | Samuel L. Jackson | ... | Sam |
| N'Bushe Wright | ... | Nichole |
| Ron Brice | ... | Corky |
| Jean-Claude La Marre | ... | Jake (as Jean LaMarre) |
 | José Zúñiga | ... | Lt. Perez |
| Luis Lantigua | ... | Chuckie |
 | Yul Vazquez | ... | Chillie |
| Cheryl Freeman | ... | Aunt Frances |
| Anthony Thomas | ... | Red |
| Curtis McClarin | ... | Darryl (as Curtis L. McClarin) |
 | Charles Malik Whitfield | ... | Smokey |
| Víctor González | ... | Herbie |
| Guillermo Díaz | ... | Spike |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
114 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
USA:R (certificate #32866) |
Singapore:M18 |
France:-12 |
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Netherlands:16 |
Canada:AA (Ontario) |
Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) |
Finland:K-15 |
Australia:MA |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: In the scene with Fresh and his father playing chess, right before Fresh cries, the Queen and King are set up incorrectly (interchanged) on the board. It occurs in only one shot and is all right in all the other shots.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
more
Soundtrack:
La Que Mas Menea
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (52 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Fresh (1994) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| King of New York | Fight for Your Life | Cidade de Deus | New Jack City | Shaft |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Boaz Yakin, the enormously talented writer/director of "Fresh" has done the impossible, a real movie about real things that offers a sharp contrast with other films about the subject we have seen before. Mr. Yakin working with what appears to be a cast of non professional actors, mainly, presents a gripping tale of life in the ghetto that will probably be a classic in this genre.
If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading now.
Fresh is the young boy at the center of the action. We follow him as he runs illegal drugs for the dealers of his area. Fresh comes from a broken home where the mother is not around and the father is absent from the picture. His kind aunt Frances has gathered about a dozen youngsters in the home she shares with her mother, who is the grandmother of all of them. In spite of the poor surroundings, this is a decent home.
Fresh probably learned quickly in his young life he must be a step ahead of the drug dealers and their henchmen in order to survive in that world. It's a heavy trip for a young child to deal with in his own life and still have a head in his shoulders. What Fresh does, of course, is illegal, but this is a determined young man that is looking for a better future in spite of what he sees around him.
Fresh loves to play chess. We watch him win games in Washington Square Park over more skilled players. Sam, his absent father, is a master of the game. Sam teaches his son the game and how to think the way the champions do. Sam is a highly intelligent man who has had the misfortune of falling victim to the bottle. His son, admires him but bears a resentment against him for abandoning him and Nicole, his sister. One thing is sure, Sam always wins when he plays Fresh. Only after all the big events at the end of the film, Fresh beats the old man up. In doing so, we see tears coming out of him because maybe then, Fresh realizes the enormity of the events he's been involved in, and the fact that his father, in yelling at him, perhaps shows the boy how much he cares for him.
There is a scene in the film involving pit bull fighting that will make, even the coolest viewer cringe. Fresh's dog wins a match, but it is a menace that has to be put to sleep. The scene where Fresh hangs the dog by his collar is one of the most horrible things we watch in the movie. Fresh is venting his frustration at a dog he clearly loved, but now he cannot keep.
The acting by all the principals is first rate. The only problem is that sometimes some of what he hear in the dialog is incomprehensible because of the use of street slang most of the viewers don't know. Sean Nelson makes a perfect Fresh. He is one of the most natural actors we have seen in a while. The lack of formal training works out as we watch a portrayal that is devoid of any mannerisms, or other cute poses that someone with more experience would have done with this role.
Samuel L. Jackson makes another incredible appearance as Fresh's father Sam. Mr. Jackson's take on this man is an excellent example why he is on of the best actors working in films today. Giancarlo Esposito as Esteban, the nasty drug dealer, adds another great role to his brilliant film career.
Adam Holender, the cinematographer, has given the film the right look. The dreamy scenes where Fresh is seen looking toward Manhattan at different times of the day, is pure poetry. This is an important movie dealing with an important subject. Thanks to Mr. Yakin, we go into that world that, for some of us, might as well be in another continent, but never right here in another part of town!