Boyz n the Hood (1991)

(Cuba Gooding, Jr.) has a father. Granted, Furious (Laurence Fishburne) was 17 when he had him, but Furious made up his mind to be a father his son could look up to. He's tried to teach him how to get ahead in life. How to stay out of trouble -- both on the streets and in the bedroom, and it's Tre who ends up successfully leaving the neighborhood. Both he and his girlfriend, we're told at the end, make it to HBCUs in Atlanta.

Ricky (Morris Chestnut) is not that lucky. He plays football and has been recruited to college, but he's not really equipped for the academic requirements. At 17, he's already a father, and he didn't have a father to help guide him.

It's funny that Ricky only needs a 700 on the SAT to qualify for his football scholarship. That's a score that anyone with a pulse could get, but he dies before learning if he met the score he needed. In fact, the letter came, but he keeps on walking to the store. He never bothered to open the envelope, because, it seems, he guessed that he didn't make it. He had just seen an ad on TV for the Army, and he's convinced himself that this is the place he needs to go.

Throughout the movie, helicopters have been flying through the neighborhood. We never see them, just hear them. I assume they are police helicopters patrolling the area. They definitely sound like the helicopters in the Army TV ad. They live in a warzone. Ricky, just by living in this neighborhood, is already a war vet. Unfortunately, he and his brother, Doughboy (Ice Cube) don't survive.

Overall, I like the movie. The vibe is: These guys never really had a chance. Yes, there are the exceptions, like Tre, but for the most part, if you live in the hood, you're very lucky if you can get out of there alive.

Tre did get the SAT score he needed. His mom opened the letter and saw the score: 710.

Rating 4/5

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