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:

Coming soon to a hood near you.

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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 Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The self-hating black police officer was based on a cop whom John Singleton encountered as a kid. Singleton felt it was critical to show this officer to show how racist black police could be towards black people. This particular scene with the police officer is an accurate portrayal of a self-hating person of color in a position (from a public servant to an employer) - a YouTube channel (The Advise Show TV) hosted by a Houston, Texas radio personality aired 2 clips via a YouTube upload where he describes a self hating person of color as an Uncle Ruckus (named after a character in The Boondocks) in a position to harm African Americans based on clichéd stereotypes where undisclosed colorism does exist. The comment section with the YouTube videos associated had one reference to this particular scene from the film. Additionally, many of the other characters were inspired by people Singleton knew in real life.

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Goofs

When Trey first arrives at his father's house the lawn is full of leaves, like it would be during the Autumn season. But all the trees and bushes in the neighborhood are very green and none of the other lawns have any leaves on them at all.

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Quotes

Tre Styles: What? Wha-what are you doing man?
Ricky: I got to drain the weasel, man!

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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

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007)

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Soundtracks

Me and You
Written and Produced by Raphael Saadiq (as Raphael Wiggins)
Performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!
Courtesy of Polygram Records

User Reviews

Rick, it's the Nineties. Can't afford to be afraid of our own people anymore, man.

1991

"One out of every twenty-one Black American males will be murdered in their lifetime"

"Most will die at the hands of another Black male"

"Increase The Peace" is the closing message of John Singleton's powerful, intelligent and affecting call for calm in South Central Los Angeles. Often mistakenly presumed by those who haven't seen it to be a film that glamorises violence, Singleton's debut film takes us into South Central and holds us there by just shooting the story. No trickery or overtly moralistic posturing from the director {and writer}, just an unpretentious look at life in a modern ghetto.

The story follows three black teenagers as they ponder on what life holds for them as adulthood lurks from around the corner. Brothers Doughboy {Ice Cube} and Ricky Baker {Morris Chestnut} and best friend Tre Styles {Cuba Gooding Jr}, each have the usual worries that come with leaving the teenage years behind. Parents, girls, careers, not returning to the pen! But this is no ordinary coming of age drama, we have been party to this neighbourhood that these boys live in. This is a place where a trip to the store can get you killed in a drive by shooting. A place where those keen to learn, and do their homework have their muse shattered by the frequent sound of gunshots and sirens filling the South Central night.

Tho Singleton can be accused of painting some of his characters as too saintly, he should be forgiven since this is after all, a message movie. Besides which his portrait of this particular neighbourhood is done from honest memory since he himself be a former youth of South Central LA. There in lies one of Boyz's trump cards, Singleton, thru his own observations, asks of those in "The Hood" to take responsibility for what they do. Something that is potently given narrative credence courtesy of Tre's father's {a fabulous understated Laurence Fishburne} deep musings. Once the built up tension explodes with the inevitable tragedy that all should be ready for, the impact is like a sledgehammer hitting bone. Not in a blood letting for impact sake, but with it's aftermath as a family soaks up the situation. It gives 90s cinema one of its most affecting and damning scenes, one that once viewed is hard to fully shake out of the memory bank. Here Singleton could possibly have bowed out of the story, but he goes further, expanding the aftermath and taking us, along with the characters, to it's final "Increase The Peace" dénouement.

It's been called everything from an After School Special to the most important Black American movie made thus far. I agree with the last assessment. 9/10