Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) User Reviews

[Blade-83 · 14 October 1999]

This film is one of the best spoof films i have seen in a while. The Wanyes brothers bring their unique comedy style to a great comedy. i suppose you have to have seen all of the films which they are making fun of to fully appreciate the comedy but once you have seen Menace II Society, Boyz 'n' the Hood, Friday And Higher Learning you will want to watch this film over and over again

[Lee Eisenberg · 7/10 · 19 September 2005]

Spoofing practically every "growing up in the hood" movie, "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" is a laugh a minute. Following the adventures of Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) and Loc Dog (Marlon Wayans) in LA's black ghetto, it's one joke after another - the way that a Mel Brooks or Leslie Nielsen movie is. Probably the funniest scene is when they enter a convenience store. The owner, convinced that African-Americans would only enter his store to steal things, follows them around - while a rich white man comes in and proceeds to empty the place. Containing virtually every imaginable use of the N-word, "DBAMTSCWDYJITH" is pure hilarity. Those Wayans brothers have it down.

[keith_b · 10/10 · 23 July 2000]

This movie is wonderful. It points out all of the absurdities of the earlier 'hood movies. You need to have seen most of the movies being parodied in order to see the true depth of the humor in this movie.

Absolutely one of my favorite light comedies with "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and "Half Baked". I can't put it in a category with "Airplane" because that is the standard by which all other parodies are measured.

[joswalt · 8/10 · 31 March 2000]

Shawn and Marlon Wayans, along with director Paris Barclay, have created a very humorous satire of the flood of films recently dealing with African-American life in the ghettos of inner-cities of America. "Boyz in the Hood" and "Menace II Society" are among the films at which the Wayans brothers poke fun. "Don't be a Menace..." follows the story of Ashtray(Shawn Wayans) as he wades through a series of episodes in Barclay's "hood." He lives with his father, who is "only a couple of years older than him." Among the lessons his father teaches him are: "No smokin' my shit, no drinkin' my shit, and if you bring any of them hos up in here, make sure I fuck 'em first", and (drinking and driving)"That shit is fun, man!" No stereotype or politically-correct boundary is too sacred for the Wayans brothers to poke fun at. Some of the jokes hit, some miss, and the fun will definitely be increased by those who have seen the films that "Don't Be A Menace..." frequently jests. Not extremely culturally-important fare, but a good laugh, nonetheless.

[fibreoptic · 9/10 · 8 November 2004]

You have to watch a few other movies first to really appreciate this. The main two movies you have to watch first is Menace II Society and Boyz N The Hood. 'Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood' spoofs these two to the max but if you haven't seen these two movies most of this movie will be lost on you. It pretty much is good from beginning to end and i can't think of anything bad to say about it. I particularly like the scene with Officer Self Hatred. This movie isn't a total spoof of movies with a couple of original jokes here and there. The Wayans brothers are good in whatever movie they are in so go watch 'White Chicks' and the first two Scary Movie's. If you like this then i also recommend 'CB4' which is equally hilarious. 9/10

[winner55 · 9/10 · 15 April 2007]

I was watching an old "Honeymooners" rerun with a friend and we came to Jackie Gleason's Ralph's inevitable "To the moon, Alice!" expression of frustration with his wife, and suddenly I realized that it WAS inevitable, so why were we laughing, having heard it a dozen times before? My friend pointed out that Gleason's timing - the manner in which he held his slow-burn, the widening of his eyes, the sudden "Bang! Zoom" take off into the line - was what always made it funny. We weren't laughing at the line so much at the performance of it.

"Don't Be A Menace" is the most obvious collection of predictable gags and bits I have seen in a long time, but it is by far the funniest. The Wayans are rather stuck - the genres they parody here have very rigid conventions, so much so that there is usually only one or two gags one can use to mock them - e.g., when a young gangsta warns us that many young men in the 'hood don't live to see their 21st birthday, we all know what's coming next. So the Wayans handle it in a manner that delays the punchline while emphasizing its obviousness. Thus we laugh with them, appreciating the way they pull it off, and recognizing the gangsta genre limit that's getting parodied, rather than at the bit itself.

Just about the whole movie operates on this level, and for this reason has become one of my favorite comedies. The Wayans capture every moment with a dead-on rhythm that blends the gags into a kind of music. Shawn plays the steady bass while Marlon does some wild riffing. Other characters and bits drop in and out like improvisation and sound effects. Keenan Wayans drops in every now and then like the voice on a scratch dub. The tempo could have been a little swifter, but the rhythm itself is excellent.

Comedy like this is very tricky, and I personally didn't think the Wayans' efforts in the "Scary Movie" films were quite as successful - but here they move it right along.

It's rude, it's crude, it's in-yor-face - and it's just a delight to watch.

[Doug Galecawitz · 29 April 1999]

Besides having a title that is funny in itself, Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood is one of the funniest movies this decade. It spoofs such black films as Boyz N' Tha Hood, Dead Presidents, Juice, Menace II Society, and South Central with such hilarity that you'll be repeating its many classic lines over and over again for months. Wayans brothers who started on In Living Clor and made the hilarious 1988 movie I'm Gonn Git U Sucka do it again with this long overdue spoof of movie that are extremely serious. Classic lines and memorable scenes saturate this movie beginning to end. All characters are well acted and comic pacing and sight gags are at a peak not reached since Top Secret or Naked Gun. Multiple viewings add to the fun. Hilarious. I was foolin` y`all! Those was jokes!

[BEATtakeshi · 8/10 · 17 February 2003]

This film is funny, just sit back, get backed and let the jokes cover you like a warm blanket. It feels good you know hmmmmmmmmmm....Well seriously, this film for some reason other than being a spoof and having the same actors as Scary Movie, gets compared to the aforementioned film. Although in comparison Don't be amenace is a far superior film. Just remember: cross at the green, never in between

[WNunley · 10/10 · 20 May 1999]

Man i just got done seeing this movie for the first time and it almost brought a tear to my eye. It was the most impressive and funny movie since "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" them Wayans boys are at it again and they keep on making me proud. Two thumbs up. I gave this movie a 10 by the way.

[all_my_life_ive_prayed · 10/10 · 18 May 2005]

Don't Be A Menace is a good "stupid comedy" the only reason it's funny is because almost everything the characters do is hilarious and pretty stupid. The catch of the movie is it's a Waynes Brother's Comedy - meaning it's generally going to be hilarious and funny.

Although "Don't Be A Menace" is parodied from many other movies, that I have never even heard of, I still got the whole idea. If you've seen it many times you'll get it after awhile, although you've got to really pay attention to the movie to get it.

One of the best scenes is when Bernie Mac, Officer Self Hatred, arrests Ashtray (Shawn) and Loc Dog (Marlon) for being black, even though Bernie Mac, like Marlon and Shawn, is black himself.

Another scene you don't want to miss is definitely is in the beginning of the movie when Ashtray's mom drops him off at his dad's house, who happens to be younger than Ashtray, Ashtray opens the car door only to cause a bike rider to hit it and flip his bike over it.

I would definitely encourage anyone to buy/rent this movie because it's a "classic" Waynes Brother's Movie. Hopefully we'll see more the of the Waynes brother's movies coming out in the future: Little Man being one of them.

[scottgrib · 6/10 · 22 December 2000]

Honestly, you will not like this movie at all if you haven't seen any ghetto movies or don't understand ghetto humor. Like most spoof movies, it won't be funny if you don't know what is being made fun of.

If either of these things are true, see this movie. If not, don't bother. I think that I have never laughed harder than during this movie. One of my personal favorite comedies.

[Chubbs-2 · 18 August 1999]

Renting this movie I was expecting another comedy to the likes of "Class Act" "Booty Call" and "House Party", which were all great movies. But I got so much more.

This parody of movies such as "Menace II Society" Boyz N Da Hood" and "Dead Presidents" was funny as hell.

They really poke fun at themselves to the extreme, making fun of guns, booze and lets not forget the ladies.

I really enjoyed this, it was a movie where you could grab some popcorn lay back, switch your mind off and laugh non stop.

[vchimpanzee · 15 July 2003]

How many gags involving offensive portrayals of African Americans can one movie have? This film may have reached the limit.

There was not so much a plot as there was a series of jokes showing black people in a less than positive light. In the movie's first five minutes, two young black men are gunned down. A hysterical mother cries over the body of her 'baby' until she realizes the young man isn't hers, and then she quickly calms down and becomes quite indifferent.

Ashtray arrives in the 'hood' in a car driven by his mother, who wants Ashtray to live with his father. The mother will not be seen again, because, as she says, there can be no positive black women in this movie. The father actually appears to be younger than Ashtray, who recalls at one point in the movie that he used to change his father's diapers.

Ashtray meets a girl named Dashiki, who is described as having more children than Mrs. Wayans. He is introduced to those children, all sitting in a row, some not even black like their mother. Asked 'What do you say?', the children all reply in unison, 'Are you my daddy?' (Despite the presence of children, this movie should not be seen by anyone under the age of, say, 21. At least I saw an edited version.) Later in the movie, Ashtray must decide whether he wants to make a commitment to Dashiki.

About halfway through the movie, either I became immune to the jokes or the movie ran out of creative energy. Or maybe the writers just wanted to give us a rest, because it was desperately needed. But the laughs soon started up again. Some samples of the humor:

-A refrigerator was full of '40', an alcoholic beverage which it seemed everyone drank (even a baby bottle was filled with something the same color as '40'). A water cooler was refilled using '40'.

-In front of a Korean-owned grocery, one of several black men in a car pulled a gun on Loc Dog. Loc Dog had a larger gun. The man pulled out an even bigger gun. Loc Dog opened the back of his truck to reveal a missile labeled 'USSR'.

-At a party, one black man refused to dance with a beautiful black woman, deciding instead that he wanted a hideously ugly white woman.

-Loc Dog did everything possible to mess up his job interview, when his competition appeared to be Ivy League educated whites with the personality typically associated with Harvard. He got the job anyway. I won't say what job, but it suited him.

-A black cop and a white cop arrested Ashtray and Loc Dog just for being black. The black cop seemed to genuinely hate blacks without even seeming aware he was himself black.

-A road test for a driver's license included the license examiner robbing a bank.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone who just needs a good laugh and does not care about quality or being offended.

[tulhamano · 9/10 · 16 April 2011]

Great movie, I saw it when i was around 14 it played on Portuguese TV, I didn't knew its name but i kept searching all this years, finally i got it and watched it again, same fun. People told me get "friday" get "half baked" and was never it...this is it!!

You don't need to watch any other "hood" movie to understand or like this movie, you probably just need to know a little bit about the hood or about the street life or what you may like to call it. Im not American, Im not black, and I liked the movie and understood the humor on it completely, also helped that I listen to some American rap and I can more fully understand some references related to racial issues.

About the movie itself it has no plot so its impossible for anyone to come here and write a spoiler. It's a succession of events, and the plot is just an excuse to keep it going. I find it a very smart, lively and audacious caricature/satire of hood life, all the stereotypes exaggerated and pointed out in a very straight fashion, straight and real enough to hurt many "sensitive" feelings, not every scene in the movie is hilarious some are not so funny, but it is made in such a relaxed and flowing atmosphere that everything is fine is all good.

Music is excellent and it has many quality details from the production creating the right atmosphere. Well I loved this movie and I wish they would make more of this kind, at the same time it is a surreal or a nonsense comedy it has very deep meaning on it and it can look so real, because reality is so much like this, day to day life is not full of drama, its more full of comedy, and full of crazy and superficial characters somehow similar to the ones on this movie. Also reference to many talented actors here that became famous, almost every face is familiar.

Comparing this with "Friday" or "Scary movie" for me is more hilarious than the movie itself. Just watch it, its a whole different level. Sorry if I got carried away with the review, this one deserves a big text and a 9.

[friday-6 · 11 March 1999]

don't be a menace... is so funny i don't even know my name. it's unbelievable how funny this movie is. trust me this movie is insanely funny. i give it ***1/2 out of ****

[visionmatter · 11 May 2000]

If you are a fan of spoofs you'll love this one. It's a story about the life of black males in the 'hood. It is a very funny movie and will keep you laughing the whole way through. You don't have to be black or live in the 'hood to understand this movie. Even if you haven't seen the movies that it is spoofed from it will still be a good time!

[Jordan_Haelend · 28 July 2003]

I saw this just this morning on FOX-TV. It had me laughing inside of a couple of minutes and I kept it up to the end.

It's a tremendous spoof of "'Hood films." It takes every cliche in the book and kicks its metaphorical head in!

I'd recommend this. I especially like the gun battle scene where the bullets are flying and the kid on the Big Wheel™ just sits there looking bored and VERY unimpressed.

[tedg · 28 February 2007]

Nearly all movies are about other movies.

Nearly all life acts are from movies; nearly all stereotypes are from acts.

The Wayons merely close the loop: movies where the acts are stereotypes of stereotypes. They really know what they are doing, disguising it as social commentary. But that you get enough of in the first five minutes. Check out how many jokes are about acting, about every third one.

And then check out what they did next, with "Scary Movies," which takes the circle one more loop.

I admit that I'm a fan. They seem to be the only ones who can do what Zucker used to: serve up what are generally called spoofs.

I think it is because they start knowing that the target isn't bits of movies, but the bits we use in inventing the stories of who we are.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

[Luiz Antonio Duarte Souza · 10/10 · 3 December 2006]

I thought that a 9 was okay, but I'll stick with 10, and if you haven't seen this movie yet, rent it, buy it, wait 'til television show it, but, see it, you won't be regret.

When you see it, you're gonna like it a lot... you're gonna sleep laughing, wake up laughing, walk to the kitchen laughing, you're gonna have your breakfast laughing, you'll go to your job laughing, but then you're gonna stop laughing when you see your boss coming to ask you why you're laughing. Then you'll get back home, then you'll watch the movie again, then you're gonna sleep laughing and all.

Lotta funny!

See it!

[Brian Abercrombie (Mad_Crumble) · 10/10 · 16 November 2005]

Well after weeks and months of my friends recommendations about Don't Be a Menace i finally bit the bullet and watched it and to be honest i thought that this film is a piece of excellence. The thing that makes it a lot funnier is that no matter what age, gender, race you are there is something in this film that is mocking you but it is done in such a way that you can't help laughing and realising how true it is. Anyone who does not have a strong sense of humour or anyone who can't take a joke made at there gender or race then do not watch this, it is an obvious micky take film so this is your warning. Anyway i hope that this review has helped you decide whether you want to watch it or not(most people have already seen it)

[brie26 · 20 August 2001]

this movie is a spoof and I hope that people not familiar with blacks understand that. It is an intensely funny film, very raunchy and one of those silly movies that have no redeeming value except for the laughs, but please people from other lands and cultures please do not take this as a repensenation of the black culture in America, I mean I as a black person would be very unhappy if I went to Russia and someone thought that they could call me a name of get my phone number by holding a gun to my head. but If taken as it is, as a black persons tounge in cheek charectature of the early and mid ninties movies about black life , it is great.

[marie_gordon84 · 10/10 · 11 October 2000]

this is really a film for people who can have a laugh. It also helps if you have seen the films 'Don't be a menace to society' 'Juice' and 'Boys in the hood'. if you have seen these films, you will find this film highly amusing and brilliant!! if you have not seen or liked any of these films, you will probably find 'Don't be a menace to south...' very boring, unfunny and tedious. so please watch the mentioned films before you even contenplate watching this film, you will then appreciate it alot more and laugh loads!!

[Vader-36 · 10/10 · 9 June 1999]

This is THE most hilarious film I have ever seen, the way that the Wayans brothers used spoofs of films such as, Boyz in tha Hood, Menace to Society, Juice, Higher Learning and a few others is complete genius, I personally can't wait for their next film 'Scream if You Know What I Did Last Halloween'

[Ricksta-3 · 10/10 · 9 May 1999]

This movie is one of the funniest I have seen in a long time, with some very memorable quotes and scenes.

I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh.