Customer Reviews

Baby Boy [VHS]

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This movie is truthful. As much as we would hate to believe it, but relationships with your parents and your significant other is just like that with most people. There's usually always drama With urban people. Not to say that it's not that way with suburban people, but for some reason we "urban folks" almost always make the news. Anyhow Tyrese did a good job as Jody and I was quite suprised. He potrayed a lazy son, a decietful baby's daddy and a young man who had somewhat of a desire to do better, just caught up in temptation. His mother Addrienne Joi Johnson did a fair job, she looked rather young to be his mom, but isn't that truly the way it is. She didn't seem very supportive as a mom, but her part was to give some advice and to stand her ground on having a man in her life played by Ving Rhames. Tyrese main girl Taraji P. Henson did an excellent job playing her part as his baby's mom and the girl he truly cared for. We as women feel just like she did when it comes to a man we love, we want them to do right by us and if they dont, we express ourselves. We want them to leave if they cant act right, but we give them numerous chances to straighten up. This movie has numerous sex scenes, violence and profanity, not for the little ones it's truly an adult film. This movies has a pleasant ending. Check it out!

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.

I have to admit, that this movie was really "Straight in your face". There were so many scenes that I really felt. I thought that this movie was just going to be another hood movie but the reality of the plot really hit home. You don't have to be from the hood to feel this movie.

John Singleton's movies typically seem to drift between the essential and pointless, and his latest, "Baby Boy," which revisits the south-central Los Angeles neighborhood he chronicled in his breakthrough film, "Boyz N The Hood," is no different. So much of it works, and works well, that the entire scenes and subplots that have no place burn all the much more.

The movie presents itself as a critique of young black men in America, who, as the film's opening narration states, have been "infantilized" by white racism. But it's not meant as a jumping-off point to chronicle race relations, but to show this infantile state is willingly embraced, and used as a womb, of sorts, to refuse responsibility.

Singleton introduces Jody, firmly played by newcomer Tyrese Gibson, as a 20-year-old father of two still living with his mother and doing what he can to avoid work and coast comfortably. He eventually embarks on a career, which involves stealing clothes off the rack and selling them wholesale.

But that doesn't stop Jody from living off the mother of one of his children Yvette (Taraji P. Henson), who loves Jody enough to let him ruin her life, if he sticks around long enough. Much of "Baby Boy" involves just how much she'll put up with, when she'll stop putting up with it, and what sort of ominous "get out" message she'll send when she does - not exactly an original setup.

But to Singleton's credit, he delivers several personal, poignant scenes that emphasize the love in their relationship, which makes the flip side of Jody irresponsibility seem all the more foolish. Unlike the director's "Poetic Justice," which portrayed romance without a pulse, "Baby Boy" gives reason to care, and invest.

That subplot runs parallel with that of Jody's home life with mother Juanita (Adrienne Joi-Johnson) barely old enough to be Jody's mom, and new boyfriend Melvin, played by Ving Rhames in one of those intense performances that changes the chemistry when he enters. Both Juanita and Melvin, while still young, have been around the hard-time block, and want a smoother ride this time. Jody blocks it, in a way, by pushing the threat of his getting booted from the house closer and closer to surface, until it explodes, sadly, in the worst way possible.

In fact, much of "Baby Boy" is sad. True, but still. Henson evokes a quiet sadness and resignation as Yvette, and has a scene, directly after an argument and smack dab in the midst of a strange makeup, where all of insecure fears (Singleton subtly shows her sucking her thumb throughout the movie) roil to the surface. And when she does boot Jody, her life doesn't improve, as an ex-con boyfriend, played in suave, pot-ridden calm by Snoop Dogg, arrives on the doorstep, looking for sexual hospitality.

Snoop Dogg's character, Rodney, and the rapper's presence at all, signify a traditional flaw of Singleton movies to work in black music and modeling stars who lack the requisite acting chops to fill out a role. Only Ice Cube, among his denizens, made the leap well.

Snoop Dogg is counted on to drive the third act of the movie, and he can't, especially in scenes where Rodney is called to be menacing. Singleton includes pointless scenes, such as Snoop driving, Snoop smoking a blunt and Snoop snapping his fingers to old school Al Green. The last scene has a mark of reticent cool to it (indeed, so cool it's in the trailer) and has the mark of the star's improvisational kickin' it mode.

But Rodney's presence puts a weird spin on the final half hour, and it doesn't quite work, as Jody and best friend Sweet Pea (Omar Gooding, a little too Cuba) aim to settle the score. And there's a scene where the two chase down a group of young thugs, then beat up them one-by-one, that took the audience in the opposite direction Singleton intended them to go. In short, a lot of scenes meant as menacing fall short into slight comedy, and only Rhames serves up bad...bluster on cue every time.

Still, when "Baby Boy" sticks to Jody and Yvette, there's a real story. Henson, in her first significant role, shows chops to stay around for awhile. And Tyrese, as he's known in the music world, is more than serviceable. He plays both sides of emotional spectrum like he's been there before, and his Jody is an anchor of self-angst and pity that not only characterizes young black America in LA, but every race, right here, right now, wherever. Jody needs to grow up. Most of us do.

I thought Tariji Henson was tops. She was very believable, warm, and talented. I am hoping to see the Washington Native in a more challenging role.

I really, really hate this movie. John Singleton gave you great movies in the past like Boyz N The Hood,Rosewood,and Higher Learning. Rosewood was the last film of substance John Singleton made. I could say that I dont understand why Singleton made this movie but I do understand all too well. Higher Learning(which eats this movie for breakfast) was panned across the board by snotty critics and pseudo-intellectual charlatans that label every movie that dealt with issues of race as liberal propaganda. The rest of the masses slept on it or allowed cheesy so-called hip hop publications like Jive...oops I meant Vibe ragazine to persuade their opinions. So I understand why he would make MTV-style fodder like Baby Boy and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

The movie is basically about Tyrese's Character "Jody" who still lives with his mom and is trying to make ends meet while having to put with his extremely pesky girl whose ex-boyfriend just got out of prison(played by Snoop Dogg). He also has to deal with his mother dating an ex-con named Melvin(Ving Rhames)that he is not too fond of. Tyrese as well as Ving Rhames do the best they can with the material they've been given but the way their characters are written in this movie gets embarrassing at times. People fail to realize that Boyz N The Hood had a brain as well as a level of awareness that is absent in filth like this movie. Laurence Fishburne's character "Furious" was the voice of reason in that movie. Where is his equivalent in Baby Boy? Nowhere to be found. As a matter of fact lets look at the characters of the main people in Baby Boy shall we:

Tyrese Gibson as Jody: Irresponsible, childish rogue that still lives with his mother. He cheats on his woman, treats her like dirt and ends up living with her. He never attempts to get a real job and sees no shame in that.

AJ Johnson as Juanita: A mother that dresses like a Malibu hooker and dates a convict that has no job. She never pushes Jody to do anything with his life.

Taraji P Henson as Yvette: Naive female that suspects that her man is cheating on her and still sticks with him. She is incredibly whiny and never seems to talk to her man like a respectable woman.

Ving Rhames as Melvin: Psychotic former criminal that brags about his past misdeeds like thats something to be proud of. He grows weed in his girlfriend's backyard and allows Jody to take the blame. He mumbles nonsense about bread and butter beats his former baby mother and wonders why Jody is skeptical about him dating his mother(hell, I would have let Hannibal Lecter date my mother over this clown any day!).

Omar Gooding as SweatPea: A numbskull that curses out his girlfriend and her mother when they gave him a place to stay because he had nowhere else to go. He acts off of impulse instead of thinking it through.

Now tell me, are these the people you want to spend 2 hours of your life with? Its not like Tyrese, Ving Rhames, AJ Johnson cant act: on the contrary they did fine but the story itself stinks. To say that Cuba Gooding Jr's brother Omar Gooding cant act is the least of his problems. The movie is filled to the rim with stereotypes and cliches. Nobody seems to act like normal people but more like crazed rottweilers on heroin. Jody and Yvette never talk to each other respectfully. They fight then they have sex(and for the record only psychotic people have sex when they're angry. No matter the race). The most asinine scene in the movie is when Jody backhands Yvette after she punches him. He takes her to her bedroom and proceeds to give her a tongue delight. WTF!?! That scene is still a head-scratcher till this day. It made no sense and was in bad taste. The rape scene is was in bad taste too. Not just because of what was going to happen but the fact that all Yvette cared about was if her son was watching. Never mind her own safety. Junior cant watch this happening to me. Sick! I'll admit that I chuckled a bit when Jody and Sweatpea beat the hell out a bunch of teenage punks that jumped Jody earlier in the movie but my laughter soon turned to disgust when SweatPea whips the final victim with a belt for showing no fear.

Closing comments. Baby Boy has no conscious. Nobody with a conscious exists in Baby Boy. Just a bunch of unlikeable, stereotypical people that perpetuate those sick caricatures and myths that Follywood has been spouting about black people for years. If you want better films from John Singleton stick with Boyz N The Hood, Rosewood and Higher Learning. Baby Boy is painfully ignorant from start to finish. Now I dont recommend boycotting Black cinema because quiet as kept it was the best thing to ever happen to Follywood. Plus sentiments like that smack of bourgeosie behavior but I do recommend boycotting brainless junk like Baby Boy to force these black directors to put out better material.
John Singleton, I know you can do better than this. Straight garbage!

Singleton's solid direction didn't save the uneven pacings of this film , and not only the pacing, theres alot of Gap that occured here, i dont know what it is exactly but probably the lack of resolution and the absence of consequences that suppose to be given to some of the lead characters, i don't know maybe its just me, after Boyz n' the hood(1992) where the ending is brilliantly justified or the murkier 'Menace to Society' (1993), this one seems to be too easy going on facing the hard days yet to come, so i should probably blame it on the script.

The story opens with a fresh sequence on the definition of why a black male is defined as a baby boy, we are then introduced with the title character , Jody , A 20 yr old unachieving young man trying to break free off the directionless life on the street but seems to do little about it,instead he preffers the good old in and out and sampling other local females, despite already giving babies to his steady girlfriend and another mistress type of woman,oh yes, he also lives with his young mom who still samples on different type of thug boyfriends, that is until the biggest thug,Melvin aka Ving rhames came by , took the heart of mom, and leave Jody with oedipus angst, now i leave it to here, since it is really hard to break down a summary for this one, every scenes seems to be working like a mini episodes of themselves, which is also the weakness of this film.

Other than that , good acting, Tyrese did a good job playing Jody, considering he is a singer, and a young one at that, he got the emotion played all on the right spot (i think), Taraji Henson as the pressurized lover who bears Jody's baby, Ving "Marcellus" Rhames as a proud ex-old schooler who dates Jody's mom (watch for a very innovative stamina requiring squatting activity he and J's Mom perform..priceless) , Omar Gooding steals every scene he is in as Jody's cuz who's raging about his current life status, and what "lesson of life in da street" film is it without employing a hardcore gangsta rapper? Snoop Dog appears here looking more evil as usual, heLL, even Tupac did a cameo, sorta...

i rent this DVD without any expectation whatsoever, since one review i read gave this film a 1 outta 5,and also this film went straight rentals without showing anywhere in cinemas out here.... thus i am quite satisfied knowing that this stuff isn't really that bad, i mean Singleton's film couldn't be that bad wouldn't it? well bad it ain't only it could have been much better

Baby boy was a good movie because of alot of truth. The situation with Jody and his baby's momma has happened many times. All a girl wants is her man to be true. This is a story of a brotha who needed to grow up and realize what he was about to lose. It took alot for him to realize it, but he finally did and I personally thought the movie was GREAT. I highly recommend this film.

Okay, this movie had a message, particularly for young black men, namely get a job, stop hiding under mama and for God's sake stop running around with chickenhead's and losers who aren't about anything but living to see the next day. I mean come on, there are lots of young black men who hide behind their mama's still live with their mama's and really don't know what they are going to do with their lives. There's always work at the post office and the military will at least get you outta the house (join the Air Force, not the Navy or Marines if you know what's good for you!) So I don't buy into the idea of their not being any hope for urban black youth, life is hard but c'mon now! I thought the beginning of this movie was insightful but the rest of it seemed to go in all sorts of directions. Jody and nearly every black person in this movie is overly obsessed with sex and saying four-letter words. I think this movie beats Casino in the cussing category. It seems like Jody spends too much time getting mad about Melvin and his mom and not doing something more practical like finding a decent job and moving out. And his babies mamas, these women need to take classes on raising their self-esteen, seems like they don't particularly mind being nothing more than sex objects and of course cussing like sailors when their kids are around. I mean I don't care how urban you are, and I grew up in an urban neighborhood and I am from a dysfunctional family but you know what, I moved out at twenty, I worked my way through college and I am on my own. What's Jody's excuse? This movie teaches a lesson but it has to go over the river and through the woods to do it and by that time your mind is cluttered with all the bajillion sex scenes in the movie. Geez this movie could be shown for the soft-core porn on cable. I mean I don't know any black people who act like the people in this movie and I grew up in a similar neighborhood.

Althought Baby Boy doesn't measure up to your typical John Singleton movie,it gives you much to think about. Being young and in a 10-year relationship, I can certainly identify with the story line. It shows how black woman tolerate a lot of unappropriate behavior from our men and end up settling for less than what we deserve. It also shows how we subject our children to this criminal and violent behavior.

I think that it is more of a wake up call to the young parents of today, to let them know that they don't have to settle for less and the do deserve more. On another note, if a young black man should get anything out of this movie is to be responsible for himself and his family. Young relationships are constantly being tested and you have to be ready for all of those challanges.