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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 6475
Released: November 6, 2001 |
| Our Price: $7.49 |
| Used Price: $2.06 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
TEN YEARS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE SEMINAL BOYZ N THE HOOD, ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR JOHN SINGLETON RETURNS TO THE SAME INNER-CITY LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE STORY OF A MISGUIDED 20-YEAR-OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN, A BABY BOY FACING THE COMMITMENTS OF REAL LIFE.
Description of Baby Boy:
A worthy companion piece to 1991's Boyz N the Hood, John Singleton's Baby Boy expresses compassionate but unforgiving criticism of young, African American black men who lead reckless, irresponsible lives while blithely blaming racism for their chronic disadvantage. That's already enough to make this a provocative and emotionally challenging film, but Singleton injects his drama with such passionate vitality that it never seems inflammatory; instead, in presenting this portrait of a confused and conflicted 20-year-old black man named Jody (Tyrese Gibson), Singleton is both affectionate and accusatory, lending Baby Boy an edgy, timeless wisdom that other, less courageous films could never hope to offer.
Unemployed and living with his 36-year-old mother (A.J. Johnson), Jody has fathered children from two young mothers and seems destined for an early grave. He never knew his father, but his mother's new boyfriend Melvin (played to perfection by Ving Rhames) is an ex-con with streetwise maturity that Jody, in time, will come to recognize and respect. This generational dynamic is the lifeblood of Singleton's central theme; Jody can follow Melvin's example or fall into the trap of lawlessness personified by Rodney (Snoop Dogg), a violent gangsta who arrives to threaten Jody's tenuous chance at a respectable adulthood. Through a wealth of fine performances and blistering dialogue, Baby Boy presents hard questions with no easy answers, and although Singleton is prone to polemical melodrama, his blunt approach serves a noble and ultimately hopeful purpose. --Jeff Shannon
Baby Boy Reviews:
Great movie! 
2009-10-30 - Well john singleton is my favorite director so I instantly love this movie. It has a good story about a young man who is having trouble growing up. This movie is always on BET so you can watch it on that channel but its best to buy it.
This is a hot mess.... 
2009-10-24 - This is movie is terrible....I wish that I could get the two hours I wasted on this movie....I don't like it. And could we sprinkle a little more vile language though this. Jody....grow the....up! And stop having babies with everyone.
Great Performance!
2009-03-31 - Wonderful cast and Great Performance by Tyrese and Taraji Henderson. I have watched this movie over and over and wanted to upgrade to DVD. Add this one to your collection!
good movie 
2009-02-26 - I probaly need to purchase another one i have watched this so much good movie
Baby Boy 
2008-12-28 - I saw this movie when it was released and not again till last night. I was a fan of John Singleton's work and understood from interviews that his movies up to this point were his own "triology" of Black male life experiences in South Central L.A. This movie touched on a lot of ills in the Black community but didn't offer solutions tied up in a bow at the movie's end so to me it is an episodic few weeks in the life of one character, Jody aka "Baby Boy".
After my second viewing this isn't a movie that I'd add to my favorite list or that I want to see in entirety again though I would probably watch my favorite scenes from time to time. The pacing of the movie seems uneven to me - it was moving along fine until the Snoop character "Rodney" bogarts his way into Yvette's apartment after his release from jail during the final third of the movie. Clearly the character was only introduced to add tension to the story but I wonder how it would've turned out if Singleton had just focused on the factors and/or experiences that Jody faces during the movie that might have caused him to grow up and be a man and real father to his children and left the gangster bs out.
Like another reviewer, I was a little dismayed that education is not stressed as an option for Jody and his cousin P but as in real life, people only promote what they know which is why Jody's mom (AJ Johnson) stressed that he work but never suggested that he go to college.
I gave the disc 3 stars because I really enjoyed the special feature which I guess aired on Cinemax prior to the movie's release. I enjoyed all of the actors' comments regarding their characters and was surprised to hear Singleton state that he'd written this script for Tupac Shakur. Once I heard that statement, I couldn't help but think about how different this movie would have been had he lived to portray this character...Tyrese was good in the role but Tupac would have been magnificent I believe.
One other positive factor for me is that there is excellent chemistry between the cast members so their performances are stronger & more believable - especially Tyrese/Ving Rhames and Tyrese/Taraji P. Henson.
