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Baby Boy (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:89
Fresh:61
Rotten:28
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Preachy and repetitive in parts, Baby Boy still manages to exude authenticity, thanks to its competent cast.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In 1991, 23 year-old director John Singleton guided viewers through South Central Los Angeles, taking an unflinching look at the devastating impact of violence on the black family. Boyz N The... In 1991, 23 year-old director John Singleton guided viewers through South Central Los Angeles, taking an unflinching look at the devastating impact of violence on the black family. Boyz N The Hood's realistic portrayal of the inner city changed the face of black cinema forever. Ten years later, the Academy Award-nominated director and writer returns to the same inner-city L.A. neighborhood and its complex social and political issues for the story of Jody (Tyrese Gibson), a misguided, 20-year-old African-American who is really just a "baby boy" finally forced -- kicking and screaming -- to face the commitments of real life. Streetwise and jobless, he has not only fathered two children by two different women -- Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) and Peanut (Tamara Bass) but still lives with his own mother. He can't seem to strike a balance or find direction in his chaotic life. To make matters worse, Jody must contend with his volatile best friend, Sweetpea (Omar Gooding), who has spent his life shuffling in and out of prison and seems to find trouble wherever he goes. In the meantime, Jody's 36-year-old mother, Juanita (A.J. Johnson), has finally started to live her life again and is dating Melvin (Ving Rhames), a reformed O.G. ("old gangster"). Juanita is enjoying the simple things in life -- her mantras, her garden, her new man -- and wants Jody to finally take responsibility for his own life and children. Once Melvin moves in, there's little room in the nest for a kid who's overstayed his welcome and is perfectly content to ride the line between boy and man. Inevitably, Jody must face Melvin, both his "baby mamas," a new adversary, Rodney (Snoop Dogg), and his own fears of adulthood if he wants to escape the life of a baby boy. -- © 2001 Columbia Pictures [More]
Starring: Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Tamara LaSeon Bass
Starring: Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Tamara LaSeon Bass, A.J. Johnson, Omar Gooding, Taraji P. Henson
Director: John Singleton
Director: John Singleton
Screenwriter: John Singleton
Producer: Dwight Williams, John Singleton
Composer: David Arnold
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for Baby Boy
Johnson and Rhames are superb as Jody's charming, hard-working mother and her ex-con boyfriend Melvin.
Unfolding as a journey filled with violence, romance, and pain, this is yet another coming-of-age tale except that the hero is not a teenager but a young man who goes out of his way to be macho but really is a mama boy.
Recommended mainly to the more devoted Singleton fans, Baby Boy is pretty strong evidence of a filmmaker who still has plenty to say.
An unfortunate hybrid of Oedipal and Peter Pan complexes, Singleton's film is a mishmash of half-cocked ideas and unrealized sentiments.
...while it's not as gritty as Boyz N the Hood or as compelling as Higher Learning, Baby Boy is certainly worth checking out if only for the superb performances...
Latest News for Baby Boy
June 22, 2006:
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This week at the movies, we've got a magical remote control ("Click") and a father who's trying to rescue his son ("Waist Deep"). Will the critics dig... More...
December 08, 2005:
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The Hollywood Reporter brings news of director John Singleton's next project, an auto-intensive action thriller called "Convoy." More...
August 11, 2005:
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