Cinepals - BOYZ N THE HOOD (1991) Movie Reaction and Review! | First Time Watch | Cuba Gooding Jr | Laurence Fishburne

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

Michael and Achara watch the classic film Boyz n the Hood for the first time! Three childhood friends navigate the challenges of growing up in South Central Los Angeles, confronting systemic injustice, violence, and the choices that define their futures. Boyz n the Hood was directed by John Singleton (Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Four Brothers). The main cast includes Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire, Men of Honor, Radio) as Tre Styles, Ice Cube (Friday, Barbershop, 21 Jump Street) as Doughboy, and Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, Like Mike, Rosewood) as Ricky Baker. The film also features Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, What's Love Got to Do with It, Apocalypse Now) as Furious Styles, Angela Bassett (What's Love Got to Do with It, Black Panther, How Stella Got Her Groove Back) as Reva Devereaux, and Nia Long (Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma’s House) as Brandi. This powerful ensemble brings depth and authenticity to a story about community, family, and resilience. Watch the full length reaction watchalong on www.cinejump.com SOCIAL MEDIA ~ACHARA KIRK~ Instagram: @AcharaKirk ~MICHAEL BOOSE~ Instagram: @BooseIsLoose ~CINEPALS~  YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals  

Senna. Pals. We are watching Boys in the Hood today. Classic film from 1991, which we have both never seen. Yep. But hopefully now when you watch it, you'll understand some of the jokes that you didn't understand in the comedy movies that you watched recently. I think, yeah.

I think now we're finally getting to the point where instead of watching it and then watching the comedy movies so I can get the joke, we've watched the comedy movies, realized I don't get the jokes, so we're watching the movie. Yeah. So looking forward to this one very much, you guys. As usual, if there are other movies that you would like us to check out, please do leave them in the comments below. You know we're checking them.

Okay, dokey. Let's jump into it. Here we go. How to survive in South Central? A place where buss in the cap is fundamental. No, you can't find the shit in a ham. It feels weird to have this movie with this type of song. This feels...

I know. It's like we just watched a whole movie about like, how people are out here killing each other and and then it's like yeah i can't enjoy i like i feel bad bopping to it i know it's like objectively it's a good song yeah but it just does not feel like the vibe larry fishburn i love larry oh my gosh ice cube did amazing he was so so good and i think doboy was my favorite character do boy was great yeah because he was really smart and he probably could have been something if his mom hadn't written him off from the get-go. Yeah, I think that he does a really great job of just showing us the like the different

paths that you could take if you were in this situation and like the way that your environment can affect how you turn out and also like how your individual choices can, you know, affect how things turn out and at times it did feel a little bit like in your face yeah but also at times I was like wow this is this is really great because you know even the the little things that we were talking about you know like the constant were of the helicopters and the cop cars and everything it was like a character in its own right and you really felt like this is the reality of their world, their situation. It's this background noise,

which is, like, kind of normal for them. And, like, the way that they're responding to shootings going on in the neighborhood, like, Brand is all, like, oh, annoyed. Like, I just wish that they would stop that. She's like they're interrupting my homework. Yeah, and it's, like, it's become this really normal thing. And I thought it was, like, exemplified so well in that scene

where the college football guy came over. and then it's like, you know, you've got his friends outside, you've got the helicopter rolling around, and this guy feels so out of place. Yeah. And they're just like trying to have this conversation about his future and you see like the potential of this bright future for this young man and also like the very real reality of his current situation and what his life is like. Like I thought the film did a really great job of just juxtaposing those things or. at the same time. It's really well done. Going back to what you said about the kind of constant noise

and presence of the helicopters and the police sirens, for me, at least in movies, I'm trained to whenever a police siren goes off, there's going to be a cut to a police car. Right, right.

Like, there's going to be a police car rolling up. Yeah, good point. And every time the sirens went off, I was always like, oh, no, the police are here, something bad's going to happen. But then it was just background noise.

Yeah. And so it had me sort of on edge, for me personally because I kept expecting the awful cops to come in every single time but that's just their life all the time like doughboy in that end scene especially was like walking across the street

having just dealt and like fully we know that he has illegal substances on him and the police siren goes off down the street and he just like casually walks across the street puts it in his pocket and keeps on going and it's so funny too because we're thinking like oh my god they've come to arrest

him because of like the the murder and everything. Yeah. And then it's just like, no, actually nothing's happening. It's just another day in the neighborhood. And yeah, it was just a really well done film kind of showing, I suppose, it almost feels like a vignette of like the lives of these people at this specific time in this specific place. And like, I don't know, like I was saying, for me, Doughboy just really broke my heart more than anyone else just because I see in him like the potential, right? And it's like, what if, what if his mom hadn't hated him so much?

What if his mom had been nicer to him? What if she had treated him with the same amount of love that Ricky had received? And like giving him direction and stuff like that? Because like he first ends up in jail because, you know, I'm sure she gives it a lot. allowance to Ricky, but like, Do Boy and his buddy stole from the convenience store. Yeah. It's like, ah, why didn't you care about him more? I don't know.

I mean, I'm sure that there's situations like that that happen every day, but it just breaks my heart, especially when I see it happening with children. And obviously, like, we all were children, so like, you know, it can happen to anyone. But, like, it's just like, oh, no, why couldn't, why couldn't you just love him more? It's the, it's the amount of energy you want to put into the kid because like sometimes you just naturally have a kid that butts heads with you. Yeah, you know, and you can't get through like whatever, your parenting style isn't working for them specifically or like, but you got to put the work in. And I think she just didn't want to put the work in to try and get through to Do Boy. Yeah, and I wonder as well if it was also a situation of like, you know, different dads and stuff.

Yeah, yeah, that's true. She liked Ricky's dad more or something, but it just broke my heart because I could see how potentially Do Boy's life could have been different if he had had a different childhood. And if he had the same amount of love and faith and everything that his mom had poured into her other son. And also, I just really appreciated that underneath all. He was still like a really intelligent. guy he was like learning yeah and then he was also like a really good brother because he loved his brother he did they fought and they butted heads but he was like hey you guys got to get out of the way for this person coming over to see my brother to get in a scholarship yeah and he's like stop harassing

the the USC scout and you know he he kind of kept order over all of his friends and like you know as much as he was like man this sucks that we're getting kicked out of the house he also was like you guys got to respect that like my brother's got a thing going on right now so y'all better be quiet he's just such a tragic character because like you said he you see a lot of the potential in him and the things he could have done because he was clearly smart he was like if he'd been motivated well i not motivated but if he'd if he'd been set on a different track and had a parent that cared about teaching him good morals like uh furious yeah maybe he would have like made something else for himself yeah you know he would have been able to like start

a business or you know be a stand-up person in the community like furious like you know he had that ability and he had that sort of character in him it's just he wasn't ever given the love to foster that yeah yeah so he just had to grow up on his own that's yeah and that's so heartbreaking to me and then I mean and also like watching the cycle of violence just perpetrate like it just makes me feel really sad thinking about it because like I understand the desire if if someone hurt any one of my family members I I would feel very angry but also it's like just knowing that even if you go out there and you get your revenge by killing the person that killed them like because somebody else is going to be coming for revenge against you and then it's just like then everybody's going to die

When Ice Cube was giving that speech at the end about like, you know, I don't know if someone else is going to come and kill me. I was looking at him and I was thinking, I was like, wow, is a young man now. But how many guys in the hood like that get to live to be old men, you know? Like boys living his kind of life. Like how old do you get to be? Which is just really, really sad. Yeah, from what I understand, if you're living like that, you either get out of it so you can live a good life or you get really, really lucky and live a long time. Yeah, otherwise you die.

But talking about performances, too, I mean, like, this was, I don't know if this was like one of the first movies that Ice Cube did, but it always just, it's crazy to wrap my mind around just how incredible Ice Cube is in this movie. Yeah. Because, like, he started out, like, obviously he lived this life. Like, if straight out of Compton is to be understood, like, this was kind of what he lived. So he's clearly drawing on, like, a heavy amount of experience, but still, his ability to, like, bring that depth of character to the camera while not really having a lot of acting experience, as far as I know, is it phenomenal, like, really, really incredible. And, you know, he's gone on to do some other really, really great films, one of the first. films I ever watched him in was are we there yet I think and he's like kind of been known for these comedies more now and being like the kind of angry dad comedy character but his performance in

this was so good and at no point would you watch this and go this is a guy who started out as a rapper and then got into acting yeah like it feels like he trained it like Juilliard or you know he's bringing years of like acting techniques instead he's just bringing life instead he's just like And there's a lot to be said for the ability to, like, empathize and bring your own experiences to acting. But I just, I was so blown away by his performance just sitting here thinking, like, oh, my God, I went to college for four years. And sometimes I wonder if I'd be able to bring that same level of depth to a character that X2 brings. Well, I think it truly is the authenticity because he was, he just was. And, like, while I, while I enjoyed Cuba Gooding Jr.'s performance in this, I still feel like,

there was something about Ice Cube's performance that was just like the simplicity of it all where he wasn't really trying to do anything he was just being which is like the absolute best thing that you can do on camera. But also I mean like we had some real powerhouses. Oh my God, yeah.

Angela Bassett was amazing. Stunning. Larry Fishburn. It's so wild. I feel like I watched something else here that had him as Larry. Yeah, a long, an older film and it was Larry Fishburn

and then it was like, oh wait, it's Lawrence Fishburn. I mean, that's a good choice to change it to Lawrence versus Larry. It just sounds a lot more, you know, fancy. It blends to the regalness that he brings to all characters. And I really loved his character in this

that sort of like he never raises his voice isn't temperamental. See, okay, so I had the interesting experience like I said at the beginning of watching Don't Be a Menace, which is largely a spoof of this movie as well as other like growing up in the hood films right before watching this so my brain is correlating some of these very dramatic and excellent performances with their counterparts

in that movie and so i was really expecting when they were talking about like him moving in with his dad like a dad who was not great a dad who's like a total weirdo and like really a dick right like the way his mom was talking about it like it was some sort of punishment i was like oh my gosh is he well with a name like furious i was like is that because he's got like an anger issue or like is he is he like going to be a mean dad like or is it just like not great where he's living with his dad and then it turns out actually he's just a guy who's trying to do the right thing the right thing yeah to to like do the best he can for his child and I have a lot of respect for that.

And a really great character who, like, took the opportunities to teach them lessons and when they were freaking out because they were in Compton, he's like, no, no, no, come here. I'm going to teach you something. Yeah. The other guys came over, and he was able to, like, kind of rope them in. I have dreams of when I'm older being, like, that kind of, like, sage to the youth sort of vibe. I don't know if I'm ever going to accomplish that. I feel like I'm a little too high energy and, like, wow, to be that.

But, you know, like, I want to be able to, like, impart that kind of wisdom to the youth and just his ability to, like, bring them in. That was such a great scene where he's like, you know, these guys are coming over because they're like, hey, what are you doing in my neighborhood? And then he's like, okay, I'm learning my kids something, but like, let's have a conversation about it. And they immediately were, like, folded in and taken in by his demeanor and, like, how he talked and things like that.

Like, Lawrence Fishburn has been a wise, like, Morpheus-esque sage from, like, day one. That's his wheelhouse. I understand by these now Lawrence, because that has the same level of gravitas as the characters that he plays. Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, you're right. Like, I love the way the energy changed because, like, the boys were all scared when they first got there because, like, the other guys who were just standing there,

drinking on the other side of the street, there was this energy. Immediately. They all, like, as soon as they pulled up, they're like, you're not from here. Yeah. And it was just kind of very, very nerve-wracking. But I love that Lawrence Fishburne's character, Furious, was able to. to change that energy and turn it into something

like good and productive and like I really did enjoy his character as well even though sometimes it really did feel like he was the character that was there to impart like a lot of the statistics and like the facts to us

but I think it was important to know all of that stuff to have it set out loud where it's like this is what's happening and again it was largely done in a way that didn't feel like it was hitting you over the head with it. Yeah. Yeah. Like the the gentrification conversation is like that one's obviously like I now need to define a term for you so you can understand what it is and get the point that I'm making. So it does sound a little like preachy just a bit. But like the way he does it and the way he presents it and the way the scene was shot, it definitely feels like I'm going to learn you about something that is a reality of life. Yeah. And it's, you know, it's something that we're still kind of like we're seeing that. Yeah. a lot now and like but i understand too how if you're in that situation someone offers you a bunch of money and you need it you'll sell your property for for dirt cheap much less than it's

worth and then you know realtors people investors buy as much as they can and then all of a sudden it's like too expensive yeah suddenly it's a bunch of like one-bedroom apartments for three grand a month in hello north hollywood yaha It's just, yeah, it's exactly what's happened here. But yeah, this was like, this was a really, really great film, and it's heavy. I still had a bit of difficulty, like, reconciling some of these scenes with the, the, don't be a menace scenes. And so there were really some dramatic moments where I was like, don't say anything about don't be a menace, because this is obviously very dramatic. But my brain's, like, replaying the exact parallel of my brain.

It's like, this was funny. You see, you get the jokes now, don't you? Right? You get the jokes now. I'm like, now is not the time to get the jokes. Well, like that whole thing with Cuba Cunning Jr. And Lawrence Fishburn being father and son. Yeah.

That really was doing my head in in the beginning because, I mean, I thought about it initially. Because you know at the beginning in the movie, it's like, yeah, they're kids now, but there's going to be time. They're going to grow up. They're going to grow up. And so I was wondering, I was like, what are they going to do to Lawrence Fishburn? Like, how are they going to make? make him look like much older because he he looks pretty young right now even though like like you were saying with him he always has this like old soul energy but he looks damn good in this movie he does he was I was like oh my gosh yeah you look great and so young and then you know I'm supposed to believe that Cuba Gooding Jr is your kid your kid and a teenager yeah at best maybe he's like early 20s mid 20s but I'm supposed to believe that.

I agree. Okay, that's fine. It's a stretch, but I'll go with it because, like, Lawrence Fishburn was doing such a great job of just having that, like, wise dad energy. I'm like, I'll take it. It's fine.

It's one of those things that, like, I've talked about with some of my friends is some people, when they get into the acting industry, their character archetype is just an age range that they haven't hit yet. Exactly. You know, and I think Lawrence Fishburn, and probably he was going by land,

to feel a little bit younger and try and angle for those younger roles. And at some point, he clearly understood that, like, no, I'm destined for a much higher age bracket and it's just a matter of my look catching up with that. Exactly. He just had to wait for a few decades to finally hit, like, his, like, 30s or 40s and be like, now I'm getting. Now I'm stepping into my prime. I've been here the entire time, but now you guys see me.

Exactly. Which is great. And, like, clearly he's made a really, really great career out of it. it but yeah he was phenomenal in this everybody did a really really really great job it's just it's just so depressing and i don't i don't even know how to talk about this because like you know i'm i'm very much removed from this world right and this life and so when i look at it like it makes me feel really sad and i'm like oh my gosh is it is it is it better now like has it is it is it is a different like this is 1991 yeah and I know I do I did have some friends who like used to volunteer like at schools in in Watts and stuff and like and helping out underprivileged kids and like watching this I can see how that is very valuable yeah because I think that if you can if you can reach out to children while they're still young and and maybe through like a program like the big brothers or big sister

type thing when you can like that did worlds a good even in my small town which doesn't have this these kind of issues but yeah big brothers big sisters i know a lot of kids um in my elementary and middle school who hugely benefited from having that kind of like volunteer interest of people that like want to help up yeah yeah and i wonder if if that can make a difference at all like i really hope that in the what is it 91 so where are we at now, like 33 years? 33 years, yeah. Since this movie came out, that things are different. I don't know. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. I hope they are.

But this was a really, really great film to just kind of shine a light on this world and this situation with the characters that were going on and like so well written with so many characters that we like genuinely cared about. Yeah. It was a really, really well done thing. Yeah. It wasn't, like, didn't feel too tropey, but got the message across with some really incredible performances that were just heart-wrenching. I don't, I'm going to need to recover from this one. Take a moment. Go watch something happy.

Yeah, see, watch some cartoons or something. Yeah, exactly. Put on from kids shows. Watch Bluey. Yeah, Bluey. I love Bluey. Here comes our reaction to the entire show of Bluey. Just as a palate cleanser.

Yeah, exactly. Anyway, you guys, thanks so much for watching with us. Let us know your thoughts. Yeah, anything at all. And any other movies that you'd like us to check out? I'm Achara Kirk. This is Michael Boose. Ciao.