Baby Boy

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</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 96 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="9828a5a0.jpg" border=0 width="138" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005LMNO/reelmoviecriticc">Soundtrack </A>  <IMG SRC="9847b5a0.jpg" border=0 width="123" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <IMG SRC="98582810.jpg" border=0 width="130" height="129" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005B773/reelmoviecriticc">2000 Watts CD by Tyrese</A>  </div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="98f618c0.jpg" border=0 width="97" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003CY51/reelmoviecriticc">Baby Boy on DVD</A>  </B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Baby Boy </B>***1/2 ( R )</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="639" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 44 WIDTH="635"><div> "It's very difficult for a woman to teach a boy how to become a man."…Ving Rhames</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="281"><div> Jody: Tyrese Gibson</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="292"><div> Yvette: Taraji P. Henson</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="281"><div> Sweetpea: Omar Gooding</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="292"><div> Peanut: Tamara Bass</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="281"><div> Juanita: A.J. Johnson</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="292"><div> Melvin: Ving Rhames</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="281"><div> Rodney: Snoop Dogg</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="292"><div> Kim: Angell Conwell</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Writer/Producer/Director: John Singleton</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="292"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="292" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A 20 year-old man-child tries to figure out where he is in his life. He lives at home with his mother, and he sleeps at the homes of the two women who have mothered his children; he makes money by selling stolen clothes and just refuses to assume adult responsibilities. He sees himself as a man, but other than his home boys, no one else views him that way.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> It's clear that John Singleton (no known relationship to me) has plenty to say in <I>Baby Boy, </I>the follow-up to his 1991 hit <I>Boyz N the Hood</I>. The first image he presents us with is a grown man, in the fetal position, floating in his mother's womb. This is a recurring nightmare for Jody (Tyrese Gibson). Here is a baby boy in more ways than one. The accompanying commentary (Jody's voice in an almost dream like state, which is when truth often is revealed to us) expertly sets up what the movie is about. The negative image that too many black men have of themselves, and others do too, and what can, or should be done about it. The concept of black men not being mature, fully developed adults, especially between the ages of 18-30, is given a fresh perspective when we observe that 1) they often call their women, <I>mama;</I> 2) their best friends are called <I>boys</I> and 3) they describe their homes as the <I>crib. </I> Many of their most important relationships are to childhood references! </div> <bR> <div> Jody lives at home with his mother Juanita (A.J. Johnson) who is trying to get it together. She's only 36 and with a son 20 years old they look more like brother and sister than mother and son. Juanita is a single mother who has a nice home, in part because it was left to her by her mother. Now she is creating a beautiful garden, with vegetables and flowers that her mother would have loved. This is a tranquil little spot just for her, where her mind can rest. You can almost see the Iyanla Vanzant books on her bedside table. Jody's father was not around, and of the men that were, some were abusive to Juanita.  She has finally met a new man, Melvin (Ving Rhames), an Old Gangster (O.G.) who has seen some rough days, but has turned the corner on what <I>he does for himself</I> and how he treats women. </div> <bR> <div> Juanita's last boyfriend moved into the household and threw out Jody's brother, who was later killed in the streets. The thought of being in the streets, away from his mother, is a fear that consumes Tyrese's thoughts to the point that he is afraid to leave the nest. To him, being a man means spending some time with one of his ladies, paying <I>something</I> on <I>some</I> bills when he can, and using the woman's car to shuttle <B>her</B> to and from work. Doing just about anything makes this man-child feel like a man. Just by spending a single night in a house, makes him feel like it's <B>his</B> house<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT>the fact that he never pays the rent does not seem to matter. </div> <bR> <div> Jody shuttles between Yvette's (Taraji P. Henson) apartment and the son he fathered with her, and the house Peanut (Tamara Bass) shares with her mother and the daughter they have together. Both women want him to make a commitment, ideally to be a husband, and at a minimum to be a father and take care of the children he helped to make. Yvette is really in love with Jody and is conflicted in how to handle the relationship. Peanut is ready to move on, by herself; and if she wants <B>his</B> sex, she will call him and he can find a way to get to her place. His point of view is that when he makes a <I>booty call</I>, she comes to pick him up to take him back to her place. Logic like this helped create the phrase "N----- please!" </div> <bR> <div> Rounding out the cast is Jody's best friend Sweetpea (Omar Gooding), who is confused and depressed to the point where he prays for forgiveness on sins to be committed in the future. He wants to find his reason for being on this earth. He leaves his girlfriend's house in the morning, does nothing all day, then comes home in the evening, so it looks like he must have been doing something during normal working hours. Also on the scene is Rodney (Snoop Dogg), a former lover of Yvette's who comes to her house when he gets out of jail, wanting to pick up where he left off before Jody came on the scene. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: For plot and acting <I>Baby Boy</I> is three stars. For a strong message and giving me more black sex on screen in two hours than I've seen it the past twenty years (no sarcasm intended), it gets another ½ star. <I>Baby Boy</I> captures intimate moments between black men and women that are rarely, seldom, almost never, hardly ever, seen on screen. Some moments are tender and sincere, while others are gratuitously funny, as when we see Ving Rhames in full nudity as he makes breakfast or when he and A.J. Johnson are making love in their bedroom in the standing position, doing an <B>R</B> rated version of the bunny hop. It's the use of sex and humor that takes the edge off the political commentary that would otherwise be too preachy.</div> <bR> <div> The film could possibly be a little shorter but cuts would likely come from the arguments that Jody has with his mother, Melvin or Yvette, or when Yvette is talking about how to deal with black men with her girlfriends. The intensity of those "discussions" if deleted, might detract from the character development. As certain points need to be made, error on the side of a bit too long is better than a bit too short. This film may not only save some lives, but it will make many lives better than they might have otherwise been.</div> <bR> <div> I admire the fact that Singleton takes on the theme of responsibility by young black men because it's a controversial topic that needs "discussion," in a place where the hip-hop, MTV audience will listen. It needs to be talked about just like Spike Lee addressed the depiction of black people in the media in last year's razor sharp satire <I><B>Bamboozled.</B></I> One key difference is that <I>Baby Boy </I>is easier to swallow but no less difficult regarding asking yourself tough questions about the future of the black man in America. </div> <bR> <div> It's also great to see Ving Rhames show his talent to the fullest, as an actor who is both intelligent and sexual. We saw him in substantial roles as a sidekick in <I>Entrapment </I>and two <I><B>Mission Impossible</B></I> films. He had meatier roles in <I><B>Bringing out the Dead</B></I> and the HBO docudrama on <I>Don King.</I> Here, he has a lead role portraying a man who transforms himself while living in what you might call a war zone and suffering battle fatigue. </div> <bR> <div> But South Central LA is more than a battlefield. Singleton reminds us that families are raised here. This is home; it needs to be kept safe.</div> <bR> <div> As Melvin tells Jody "It ain't nothing but a rerun and young people think they are seeing something new." It's like the16-year-old thinking that he alone discovered the joy of sex. As Melvin sees it, too many of the young men today are "…young, dumb and out of control." Destined to repeat the tragic mistakes of prior generations.</div> <bR> <div> Director John Singleton also makes a strong statement about the importance of economics. People don't bring money to you<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT>you have to go get it. Some people have regular jobs and others may sell products or perform services, or own their own businesses. It's those who sell that are much better off than those who are only consumers. Even if you sell, there are ethical and unethical ways to go about it; Jody takes the literal translation<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT>just sell. If you are boosting stolen items, just how long will that last?</div> <bR> <div>  Melvin also shares the observation that there are two ways to look at material things in life,"…as guns or butter." Guns are possessions you have that appreciate, like a business or a home. Butter means you spend all your time on the soft focus items in life such as clothes, cars and things that don't last very long. For the baby boy, when, not if, he decides to become a man, will he choose guns or butter?</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> R (sex; nudity; drugs; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> For more information on the film, go to the <A HREF="http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/babyboy" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/babyboy"><U><B>official web site.</B></U></A></div> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> Tyrese Gibson: Love Song-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Taraji P. Henson: <I><B>The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Omar Gooding: Smart Guy-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Tamara Bass: The Fugitive-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> A.J. Johnson: The Inkwell</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Ving Rhames: <I><B>Bringing out the Dead</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Snoop Dogg: Urban Menace</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Angell Conwell: Web Girl-TV</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> John Singleton: <I><B>Shaft</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Footnote: Unlike many soundtracks, each and every song in the movie is on the CD.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>