Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Director:

John Singleton

Writer (WGA):

John Singleton (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Increase the peace

Plot:

Saga of a group of childhood friends growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto.

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Black Woman | Tragic Incident | Sex | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Laurence Fishburne	...	Jason 'Furious' Styles (as Larry Fishburne)
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Tré Styles
Ice Cube	...	Darin 'Doughboy' Baker
Morris Chestnut	...	Ricky Baker
Nia Long	...	Brandi
Angela Bassett	...	Reva Devereaux
Tyra Ferrell	...	Brenda Baker
Lexie Bigham	...	Mad Dog
Hudhail Al-Amir	...	S.A.T. Man
Lloyd Avery II	...	Knucklehead #2
Mia Bell	...	Female Club Member
Kenneth A. Brown	...	Little Chris
Nicole Brown	...	Brandi, Age 10
Ceal	...	Sheryl
Desi Arnez Hines II	...	Tré Styles, Age 10

Also Known As:

Boys in the Hood

Runtime:

107 min | 112 min (Anniversary DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:14A | South Korea:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In terms of investment, this was 1991's most financially successful film, making $56.1 million from a budget of only $6.5 million.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Doughboy says to pick Chris up, he jumps from the porch to the wheelchair between shots.

Quotes:

Furious Styles: Why is it that there is a gun shop on almost every corner in this community?
The Old Man: Why?
Furious Styles: I'll tell you why. For the same reason that there is a liquor store on almost every corner in the black community. Why? They want us to kill ourselves.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Just a Friendly Game of Baseball

hood ornaments, but this is more than an ornament

It's hard to believe that John Singleton's work degenerated so in later years, because his debut was a masterpiece. We probably all have to agree that "Boyz n the Hood" was basically the first "growing up in the ghetto" movie, showing how these African-American youths are surrounded by violence during their childhoods - some perpetrated by the cops, some is their own doing - but they all have to find a way to keep going. If the movie has any problem, it's that it opened the flood gates to a series of similar inferior movies (but also the hilarious satire "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood").

Anyway, this is the one that I recommend. Cuba Gooding Jr. made a very good debut. Also starring Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long and Angela Bassett.