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Baby Boy

Baby Boy

List Price: $19.94
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: much better than expected
Review: I must admit, I pre-judged this movie in a negative way. There is a lot of foul language and adult content, but the story line is very real. This movie is life in the innercity. John Singelton is a master of showing us innercity life. Take it from me, watch the movie and then judge it, you just might find yourself surprised!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Didnt quite reach its aim
Review: This movie definitely had the potential to be an eye-opener for young black 'baby boys', but in the end it missed its mark. While quite entertaining, it failed to make a sound statement for the socially conscious viewer,which might have been alright if it had been a comedy, but it was obvious it was intended to be a drama taken seriously. And for that reason alone, I am left somewhat disappointed. First, in how passive the girlfriend Yvette's character was. Even though she screamed at Jody all the time, she still basically said it was ok for him to cheat on her as long as it wasnt anyone she knew and as long as he didnt give her any diseases. Sad. He treats her horribly and even has another baby with another girl and she still keeps him. Even more sad. And although she finally kicks him out, she does nothing to get on with her life and instead mopes around the house and cries that he no longer loves her. Sadder still. But actually, what's TRULY sad is that her character probably IS 'keeping it real'. So many young girls today are JUST that insecure to allow such behaviour from a man. But it would have been nice to see a stronger female role that could survive without someone who wasnt any good anyway.
But if her character had to stay the same then there could atleast have been a better ending for Jody's character. Am I the only one who didnt see a 'happy ending'? Is it just me or did nothing about Jody's character change? The only difference I noticed was that he was being nicer to his mom's boyfriend, which was only right. But it never showed that he got a job, and he still got into YVETTE's car and took out keys to YVETTE's apartment. What changed? Looks like he went from living off of his mother to living off of Yvette. Seemed to me the mark of no longer being a 'baby boy' would have been to show him get a job, his OWN car, and a new apartment for his family. But I suppose that falls on the writer and director. The one good thing I can say is that Tyrese did the best with what he was given. I was very impressed with his acting.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Performances But Passive Characters Sink the Drama
Review: "Baby Boy" tells an all-too-familiar story of an aimless, oversexed young man whose gifts in life seem undeserved, yet ironically bountiful. Already the much-absent father of two young children by two different women who compete for his attention, 20-year-old Jody spends most of his time predictably drifting about, riding his bike, getting high, building models, or butting heads with his self-indulgent mother's ex-con boyfriend, Melvin. For the characters in "Baby Boy," life generally doesn't get lived so much as it just happens--and while there is a natural flow to the story, one gets the impression that everyone just reacts to events without ever trying to influence them, making them quite passive despite the tough talk and urban attitude. What's left then is simple pathos, meaning you're either charmed or amused by the characters or--as too often happened for me--not. It's a shame because the performances seem sincere, even if Tyrese Gibson and Ving Rhames compete with one another over who can talk lower and be more stoic, and director Singleton stages his scenes with great effort. But without the distraction of having to really care about what happens to most of the people in the story, it's also easy to see the rather one-dimensional treatment of the male and female characters: the men simply want sex and food; the women simply want sex and a man. That makes sense for the younger characters, perhaps, but everyone in the film--including the older adults--seem programmed in this juvenile way. In the end, the plot boils down to a simple choice for Jody, and though the movie does have a happy ending, it nonetheless feels robbed of its full dramatic power. Once again, art imitating life doesn't always make art meaningful.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: its alright
Review: its aite movie but i wouldnt buy it just rent its only good to watch it once and gets borin after it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It Was Good!
Review: I liked the movie and yes I did give it three stars because it's not one of those classic movies but it's more like you could just see it once and be satisfied.

The plot was good and the characters were ok. The only part of the movie that I didn't like is Snoop's part it was just to unreal for me to take in. If it is on DVD then it's at least worth a rental but just pass on buying it. Peace out folks!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost Perfect!!
Review: John Singleton's indictment of Black Males and their failure to take responsibility for their lives is a great, dramatic achievement. There are comical moments in the movie (whether its intentional or not) that I have problems with in this movie. I like the fact that Singleton has developed this topic for dramatical purposes and it should have stayed the course. Its dramatic moments is when the movie really comes together. The performances of Ving Raimes and Tyreese Gibson stand out as the best this movie has to offer. I highly recommend this movie to all young black males to see and give them a challenge to take responsibility for their lives.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Everyone can identify!
Review: I have to admit, this movie is better than what I have expected. It was painfully true in some ways. Some say that it's stereotypical, but it really isn't. I've read some of the reviews and some think that it shows blacks in a negative light, but at the same time John Singleton is trying to educate these young people at the same time. He's trying to make them reevaluate themselves by basically seeing themselves in this film. I think everyone from different backgrounds can identify with the characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Singleton does it again!
Review: BABY BOY has all the makings of a classic cult film. It mixes urban melodrama with some great comedy. I pity the fool who takes this film too seriously! Singleton himself said he just wanted to take one of those rap videos and bring it to life. There's no real socio-political message here. It isn't about racism (there are no white people in this film and nobody blames racism for their problems) and it isn't really about life in the 'hood either. Most folks in the movie seem to live in some kind of mystical netherworld. Jody's mom lives in quite a nice house, don't you think? As does everybody else in this film. It's like Beverly Hills meets East Compton. The characters in the film act ghetto but they are most certainly NOT in the 'hood. This is some kind of idealized 'hood where brothers still have blood vendettas, bikes get stolen, people get jumped but everybody lives in a nice big house and there's plenty of Kool-Aid to go around. None of the characters in the film are particularly likeable but there isn't anybody really detestable either. Jody is lazy and irresponsible but aside from the scene in which he slaps his woman, you don't really want him to get his comeuppance or get run over by a truck. Melvin is supposedly a violent gangsta with a head on his shoulders but you can't really figure him out one way or the other. Is he trying to be nice to Jody or intimidate him? Yvette is a whiny little thing but you know she just wants Jody all to herself. Jody's cousin reminds me of Delmar in O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU. He's just there for comic relief. Even Rodney, played by Snoop Dogg, the villain of the piece, seems to be there for comic purposes. The film is far less violent than BOYS IN DA HOOD although it is loaded with profanity and nudity and sexuality. Watch Melvin and Jody's mom do it kangaroo style.

This is the kind of movie you can enjoy on late night cable if you forget all about political correctness and just have a laugh or two.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 2 1/2 stars--extremely all over the place
Review: Truth be told, the first scene, where Tyrese Gibson's character Jody is explaining the meaning of "baby boy", is the best scene in the whole movie. It was straightforward and easy to understand. If only I could say the same about the rest of the film.

This movie has many flaws, which is surprising because this is a John Singleton (Boyz in the Hood) production. But none of the flaws have to do with too much cursing, violence, or nudity, because I'd grown accustomed to so many "keepin'-it-real" black movies. When I first played this movie at home, I watched the movie for 30 minutes, stopped the DVD, left to get a bite to eat, came back to the movie, and I was already asking when is the movie over. That's because there are so many plots and events happening that you may be wondering just what the hell is this film about. If I could narrow it down, it wouldn't be too attractive: Black girl is womanized, smacked, and misused by her man, but she stays with him. This scenario occurs both with Jody and his woman AND Jody's mom (A.J. Johnson) and her man-from-the-pen Melvin (Ving Rhames).

The plots then range from Jody trying to make a living selling dresses on the street, to a girl from Jody's girl's job trying to seduce him, to his girlfriend's ex coming out of prison (why are all of the thugs in the movie just coming out of prison? Okay, they're tough; we get it already, John!). Played by Snoop Dogg, Rodney, the ex, feels challenged by Jody, and eventually he tries to do Jody in. Snoop does a good job in this role; unfortunately, it's the same role that he's been playing in these hood movies numerous times before.

What truly puzzled me? Well, Jody slapped his woman, was kicked out of her crib, and got back with her towards the end; Melvin slaps his woman, and got back with her towards the end; and Melvin goes from challenging (and choking) Jody to being the best of friends with him after he saved Jody from killing himself (after Jody shot someone, I must add). Also, Jody's friend, played by Omar Gooding, was underdeveloped. He got baptised at the end of the movie, but you don't really hear too much about him during the course of the movie except that he treats his woman wrong, too.

This movie gets two stars for being incoherent, but an extra half-star goes for Tyrese's great acting performance. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future, but not in movies like this.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Sad, Sad, Sad
Review: This movie is a sad illustration of many black brothers in America: lazy, displacing blame, and unable to love properly. Two children by two different women is drama. Why would you even want that? This movie is also a sad illustration of many of our sisters today. "He beats on me, he cheats on me, he talks down to me, but he loves me." "He just going through some things." Personally, Baby Boy was a little too ignorant for me. Ignorance was bliss throughout the entirety of the movie. I do think that Tyrese is a good actor though. I do appluad John Singleton for wanting to address this particular issue in society. I still think Boyz N' Tha Hood was his best movie. If you want to see every single negative stereotype a black person ever heard, then watch this movie. If you are tired of the typical African-American movie with it's stereotypes and unnecessary curse words in the place of the English language, then you probably need to watch something else.


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