Goin' Out West

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 100 million (approximately)

Characters: Tre Styles, Doughboy, Ricky Baker, Chris, Brandi, Furious Styles, Reva Styles, Brenda Baker, Dooky, Monster, Shalika, Shanice, Ferris

Favorite Quote: “Domino motherfuckers!”

Favorite Scene: Doughboy’s speech at the end

Favorite Character: Doughboy

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by John Singleton: none

Do the Right Thing was snubbed in my eighties movie bracket challenge, so I am glad that Boyz n the Hood made it onto my nineties movie list. This movie takes place in South Central Los Angeles (a long way away from Do the Right Thing’s Brooklyn). I think it may be the early favorite to win the “movie that looks the most like a nineties movie” award. Run-D.M.C. played during the barbecue, and the fashions ranged from Georgetown and UNLV gear (oh the days when Zo and LJ were stars) to Tre and his Gordon Gartrelle shirt. Speaking of Tre, my girlfriend couldn’t get over the fact that Cuba Gooding Jr. looked 35 and played someone that was 18. I think my younger self would have said Ricky was my favorite character, but my older self says Doughboy . . . we will get back to him later.

There were a lot of powerful messages spoken throughout the movie, but my favorite quote is when Doughboy yells “Domino motherfuckers!” at a barbecue. I got all choked up at the end when Tre told Dough, “You still got one brother left, man”, so that was probably my second favorite. It was definitely not anything Tre and Furious said during their uncomfortable talks about sex. I can’t even type the words into this review . . . but what I can type is that I wish I had friends growing up with names like Dooky and Monster. Though I did grow up with a friend named Brownie and that is pretty cool I guess.

Ok, back to Doughboy; easily the best character from the movie. He is funny and tough, and he even gets emotional. Even though Tre is the main character, I feel that the movie is at its best when Doughboy is on screen. He is the one that chills us at the end with his powerful words telling us, “Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood.” He then pours a 40 on the curb and disappears. I wish Dough had lived longer and enjoyed more days where the Lakers beat the SuperSonics and his name was in lights on a Goodyear blimp.

Next movie to review: A League of Their Own