Release Date:
Friday, June 29, 2001
You think you seein some new shit out here, but its all a rerun to me. So says Melvin (Ving Rhames) early on in John Singletons latest, Baby Boy. Realizing that he hasnt made a good movie since 1991s Boyz in the Hood (Disagree? Go back and watch Poetic Justic, Higher Learning, Rosewood, and Shaft, and then talk to us), Singleton returns to South Central with the story of layabout Jody (MTV VJ and singer Tyrese Gibson) trying to survive on L.A.s mean streets.
Unfortunately, Singletons message is about as subtle as the giant Tupac Shakur mural thats visible in every damn frame of the movieyoung black males (and, by extension, all young males) need to grow up, handle their business, and become men. Sound familiar? While we applauded Boyz for its honest portrayal of life amid gang violence, Baby Boy has nothing new to offer but heavy-handed symbolism and two-dimensional characters. Tyrese has none of Cuba Gooding Jr.s charisma, and Snoop Dogg has to be the funniest and least threatening person ever to be called a thug. Not only cant he act (check his angry face), but he shambles around like an anorexic scarecrow.
Baby Boys biggest crime, however, is the utter waste of a gripping performance by Rhames. As reformed gangster Melvin, he carefully toes the line between repressed violence and a genuine desire to clean up his act. Rhames gives the character just the right amount of dignity and danger, and he really deserved a better movie to back him up. Baby Boy struggles to bring some new shit, but its all a rerun to us.
Unfortunately, Singletons message is about as subtle as the giant Tupac Shakur mural thats visible in every damn frame of the movieyoung black males (and, by extension, all young males) need to grow up, handle their business, and become men. Sound familiar? While we applauded Boyz for its honest portrayal of life amid gang violence, Baby Boy has nothing new to offer but heavy-handed symbolism and two-dimensional characters. Tyrese has none of Cuba Gooding Jr.s charisma, and Snoop Dogg has to be the funniest and least threatening person ever to be called a thug. Not only cant he act (check his angry face), but he shambles around like an anorexic scarecrow.
Baby Boys biggest crime, however, is the utter waste of a gripping performance by Rhames. As reformed gangster Melvin, he carefully toes the line between repressed violence and a genuine desire to clean up his act. Rhames gives the character just the right amount of dignity and danger, and he really deserved a better movie to back him up. Baby Boy struggles to bring some new shit, but its all a rerun to us.