Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and future prospects.

Director:

John Singleton

Writer:

John Singleton

Stars:

Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hudhail Al-Amir	...	S.A.T. Man
Lloyd Avery II	...	Knucklehead #2
Angela Bassett	...	Reva Styles
Miya McGhee	...	Female Club Member (as Mia Bell)
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:

year 1984 | pacifier | year 1991 | man with glasses | ex convict | 

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Taglines:

Increase the peace.

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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:

Boys in the Hood

Filming Locations:

5918 Cimarron Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,023,462, 14 July 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$57,504,069

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first of two movies in which Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett play spouses. Although in this film they are divorced, they co-starred in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) as Ike Turner and Tina Turner who are married and later divorced.

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Goofs

When the "boyz" are driving late at night looking for the guys who shot Ricky, Dooky is sitting in the front seat with a pacifier in his mouth. He turns around towards the back seat and says, "Let's get something to eat" - and when the camera angle changes, the pacifier has disappeared.

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Quotes

Tre Styles: I didn't do nothing.
Officer Coffey: You think you tough?
[pulls gun on Tre]
Officer Coffey: Scared now, ain't you? I like that. That's why I took this job. I hate little motherfuckers like you. Little niggers, you ain't shit! I could blow your head off with this Smith & Wesson and you couldn't do shit. Think you tough? What set you from? Look like one of them Crenshaw mafia motherfuckers.

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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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Alternate Versions

The Criterion Collection laserdisc features two scenes deleted from the theatrical version. They are as follows: Tre and his mother have a telephone conversation about his future with Brandi and college. Doughboy has a confrontation with Furious after Ricky gets shot.

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Connections

Referenced in The 64th Annual Academy Awards (1992)

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Soundtracks

Ooh Child
Written by Stan Vincent
Performed by The Five Stairsteps
Courtesy of Essex Entertainment
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

User Reviews

Excellent Movie

Well-done movie by John Singleton, and very well-acted. Well-developed characters, and people you come to really care about. What's especially sad is we actually have areas of this country where the brutality and senselessness portrayed here is all too real. Cuba Gooding, Jr. is exceptional as a bright young man deperately trying to not get sucked into the endless rage and revenge life of his boyhood pals. Laurence Fishburne is tremendous as a father trying to steer his son through this minefield of a life, and on to better things.

One complaint, his "Don't trust the white man" speech has gotten ridiculously old. This attitude serves absolutely no one, and makes all of us, white and black, worse off because of it. It's time this ceased to be portrayed in movies.