Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Yo, cousin. I I know why you got the car last night.

Shouldn't have been there in the first place. You don't want to come back to haunt. You ain't been up this early in a long time. Turned on the TV this morning about about living in a violent, a violent world.

Showed all these foreign places, foreigners living on I started thinking, man,

either they don't know, don't show. I don't care about what's going on in the hood. They had all this form. I got no brother

kind of mother need. In nineteen eighty nine, a first time filmmaker took a newly discovered rap star and several other at the time unknown actors and actresses and sought to craft a film that would show viewers the life in South central Los Angeles. What came from this film was a powerful look at one of the most notorious inner cities in America. That first time director was John Singleton. In this week's film is his semi autobiographical debut, Boys in the Hood. The film follows three men from grade school to high school.

Trey Ricky in his brother dough Boy played by Cuba Gooding, Junior, Morris Chestnut, and Ice Cube, respectively, rounding out the cast. Is Lawrence Fishburne, Angela Bassett in Nia Long. In our opening clip, ice Cube tells Trey about the problems of growing up in the hood, especially in their area. Our next clip is from a nineteen ninety one episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show shortly after the film's release, where Singleton talks about how his real life experiences played a role in the making of this film.

There's a new movie that really cuts to the heart of an American crisis. Boys in the Hood. It is an important movie. This movie was written and directed by a young black man who is only twenty three years old. He's with us today. Welcome John Singleton. You say, we're talking about this just briefly. John. At the beginning of the film, before there's really any opening credits or anything, the title comes up and it says, one out of seventeen black American males will be murdered each year, and most of them at the hands of another black male.

Is that why you did the film? Yeah? Actually, I did the film actually to show how the difference between what a responsible, you know, open minded black man would do and raising his son, and so I could contrast that to the way, you know, his son's two friends would be raised just by their mother. And we were showing the film. You know, that's a mother in the film who raises her two sons and one she overly loves and he becomes irresponsible and a teenage father. Another one she doesn't love enough, and he becomes a gangster.

And that's dope boy, that's cubes character. Is the story that you told in Boys in the Hood your own story, well, well, the story of Boys in her It's just a catalyst for me when I went to live with my father. I went to live with my father when I was twelve years old. My father whipped me into shape, you know, straight up, you know, made I did too i was fourteen. Does have a way of doing that, you know. He made me mowd a line and take off the trash stuff like that. Actually, one of my faver had to do.

You know. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when this whole audience again as his seenior the film is when Tray goes to live his father and the little boys are out on the lawn and he offers them some money. The father offers him some money. Larry officers him some money to cut the lawn and they say, and he offers them five dollars and they say, man, who you think we are cool to kinta? Well, I think that's what's so wonderful about your film is it is I think, just an excellent portrayal of a middle class black father.

Not lots of money, not driving a bins, just just a strong black, hardworking brother that that cares for a son and you know, cares how a son is raised. Mm hmmm. And we you know, we need more brothers that that, you know, if they're going to have a child, they have to look out for the well being of their of their children. As Singleton stated his childhood, growing up with his father was an overwhelming influence. This film features a nice comparison of parenting. First, we hear dough boy and Ricky's single mom be rate dough boy, who becomes a criminal and gang banger in his adult years in dotes on Ricky.

Then, when Trey goes to live with his father to learn how to be a man as a young child, we hear the teachings Furious played by Laurence Fishburne, gifts Trey in hopes of him becoming a respected man and not a victim of the streets. You ain't just like your dad. You don't do you never go down my All you ever do around here is eat, sleeping, sh Look at this place where y'all ask. Y'all must think I'm the maid. It's not it, because hell no, it ain't it. It ain't it till I say it's it. Damn it is that it.

Boy, don't get smart with me, because I'll knock your ass in the middle of next week. And where you're going anywhere you look. You're furious this little boy at home? Yeah, boy, you look more and more like your dad every day. Sit, tell me something. I'll come your daddy. Don't come over here and play cards with us and Imbut I don't know. I know you don't think he better than the rest of us. Must be too busy shooting at people. I heard what happened over that other night. Hm, he still got that same girlfriend.

You and Mama? Why you always play football, Cause that's what I'm gonna do. That's right. You na heard furi he shut at somebody last night. You get him? No now, Tray and furious? Alright, Tray, I gotta lay down the rules of the house. It's the same thing as weekends. You remember. Alright, then what are they clean? The bar through saint floor? And two I gotta clean that up? Yeah, clean my room water? Thank you? I ask you something. What do you have to do around here? I don't have to do nothing around here except for pay the bills, put food on the table, and put clothes on your back.

You understand now, I have to pay no bills. You know, Trey. You may think I'm being hard on you right now, but I'm not. What I'm doing is I'm trying to teach you how to be responsible. It's like your little friends across the street. They don't have anybody to show them how to do that. They don't. You're gonna see how they end up too. I'm glad you hear. Trey. You're a prince. You know that. Yeah, you're the prince. I'm the king. Right now, the king says it's time for the prince to go to bed, So get yourself together.

See more. Okay. The performances of Cube, Gooding and Long are heralded, as they should be. However, the performance of Fishburn is one of the best of his storied career. In the role of furious styles. He shows what a father, not just for inner city youth, but all youth should be. He is firm, loving, protective, and brutally honest. In our final clip, he talks to Ricky and Trey shortly after they complete their SATs about a problem still plaguing in our cities, gentrification. Of note, hear how his powerful speaking gets others in the area involved, and this causes something that this world desperately needed then as much as it needs now discussion and understanding to resolve a difference of opinions.

Want y'all take a look at that sign up there. See what it says, cash for your home. You know what that is? It's a billboard board. What are y'all? Amos and Andy? Are you stepping and he's fetching? I'm talking about the message. What it stands for. It's called gentrifications. That's what happens when the property value of a certain area is brought down. Huh, thank you listening. Yeah, they bring the property value down, they can buy the land at a lower price. Then they move all the people out, raise the property value and selling at the property.

Now, what we need to do is we need to keep everything in our neighborhood. Everything black, black owned with black money, just like the Jews, the Italians, the Mexicans, and the Koreans do. Ain't nobody from outside bringing down the property value. It's these folks shooting each other and selling that. I think the crack rock gets into the country. We don't own any planes, we don't own no ships. But we are not the people who are flying and floating in here. I know. Every time you turn on the TV, that's what you see Black people.

Yeah, selling the rock, right, pushing the rock, pushing the rock. Yeah, I know. But that wasn't a problem as long as it was here. Wasn't a problem until it was in Iowa and it showed up on Wall Street where there are hardly any black people. If you wanna talk about, uh guns, Why is it that there's a gun shop on almost every corner in this community? Why, dud tell you why? For the same reason that there's a liquor store on almost every corner in the black community. Why they want us to kill ourselves.

You go out to Beverly Hills, you don't see that, but they want us to kill ourselves. Yeah. The best way you can destroy your people, you take away their ability to reproduce themselves. Yeah, who is it that's dying out here on these streets every night? Y'all? Yeah, young brothers like you said, Else, what am I supposed to do? Full? Roll up? Try to smoke me, shoot them? You don't kill me first. You're doing exactly what they want you to do. You have to think, young brother, about your future. Huh.

This is the third year we have covered films honoring African Americans for Black History Month. This film is a part of the quote unquote Big three of African American inner city films. We have already covered Juice in Menace to Society the other two many include in this group. I have said many times that this film has an after school special feel to it. I realize that could diminish its power and classification as a great film, which this film truly is. It is the first look at life in a real inner city done by someone who lived it.

It is tragic, and it also provides a ray of hope. Nearly thirty three years after its release, its influences still fell. It helped launch the careers of Fishburn Long, Chestnut Bassett, not to mention the acting career of Ice Cube. His experiences making this film led to him writing the comedy Friday, which has also been covered here on Classic Film Reviews, to show the good times in the inner cities. The issues this film presents are still prevalent today, not just for inner city youth, but all youth.

Racism, police abuse, gentrification, economic disparity, single parenting, and crime are all temptations in pitfalls the youth of America faces today. That is why this film still into ears thirty plus years after its release. I hope you will join me next week when you look at Spike Lee's irreverent look if blackface and cinema. Next week's film is Bamboozle for W. M. N H and Matt Connorton Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Eric Pilcher. How does Sabama South Central for a place?

Go button the captain funder pencil Note you can't find the rules in a hand book. Take a coach, look at a crack hook ring number one, number gun, a nine in your butt of beef, cum keep it in your cluff apartment attack us. There's nothing to get a start. Nephew White, You could trust the pone leash, but if your black. They ain't nothing but people watch out butt and killed. Don't make the boss and give your hands on the stand. W don't just mort that's all questions. And that's the first present on standing live and south Shi will be.

That's how it's a fun. This is harm mandous. This is Los Angeles who number two, don't trust no body, especially a girl with a hook. This botch coup. It ain't nothing but a crack and big males and get your jack to kick man you wind up dead. And just to be saying, don't wear no golfwear because most people get caught and neither la who come the north? What talk black human fields? So I think a better skip the sight saying and if you're not put a mark, make sure that's in into a dork. But if you need some affection, man, make sure the girl ain't a section next just if so that's a money rich house and you want somebody in South Sex.

Number three, don't get caught up because brothers aren't doing anything that's caught up. And they got a fight on everything from dunting, this stole the merchant, we the shurn just op six Well wait it's one thing turns Wait boy, brother like dude and catching the seas it starts singing pe doing down the cut water booms brock and there sther out of town's summer. So don't take your life for grat because mister craziest place on the flat and now lay here. Rolls don't fight through the sky storms and they live behind the ball.

So everybody's doing a little dirt and this the youngster's putting in the most what to be at lunch. They come as you even did enough. You stay. The strong survive. Damn, the strong even die in South six and you know that. And you know that South six win not ulf. And I gotta say what's up to the fifth the only fip certain tickets in the house. I gotta say what's up to my man team bot he talks in that house. Lets you k yo, I see it right down with a mouth yup. This is Los Angeles.

Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews Boyz n the Hood (1991)

What's This About?

Stay Connected with Matt Connarton Unleashed