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Movies / On DVD / Baby Boy
Baby Boy

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Baby Boy (2001)

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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

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Reviews for Baby Boy

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
11/24/01
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Johnson and Rhames are superb as Jody's charming, hard-working mother and her ex-con boyfriend Melvin.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
11/12/01
Jane Crowther
Jane Crowther
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/27/09
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

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.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/26/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Recommended mainly to the more devoted Singleton fans, Baby Boy is pretty strong evidence of a filmmaker who still has plenty to say.

Full Review Source: DVD Clinic | comment Comment
12/21/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
DVD Clinic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
08/17/03
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly
N/R

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Full Review Source: BlackFilm.com | comment Comment
05/13/03
Wilson Morales
Wilson Morales
BlackFilm.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Hot Button | comment Comment
01/07/03
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An unfortunate hybrid of Oedipal and Peter Pan complexes, Singleton's film is a mishmash of half-cocked ideas and unrealized sentiments.

Full Review Source: Baltimore City Paper | comment Comment
11/18/02
Rachel Deahl
Rachel Deahl
Baltimore City Paper
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

...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...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
09/25/02
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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