The summer continues and so do we! That’s right, we’ve gotten a little older, a little wiser and a little cheekier as we move into the fourth entry in our Growing up in Summer marathon. This week, we move into the 80s with John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood. Due to the film’s success, Singleton became the first African American to be nominated for the directing oscar. He is also the youngest nominee in the category at the age of 24. But, does the film hold up? Or is it simply stuck in the 80s?
The Boyz N the Hood are always Hard
We head to the Crenshaw area in South Central LA with Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut). Tre moves to Crenshaw to stay with his dad, Furious Styles (Larry Fishburne). The three boys grow up in a cycle of gang violence, getting pulled farther and farther along. Boyz N the Hood is one of the defining films in the Hood Drama sub-genre. Nominated for two Academy Awards, the film is seminal 90s filmmaking. It gave a platform to minority performers and creators, and it was very successful.
This week, we get into female representation in the movie. We also discuss gentrification, a first time topic of discussion for the GenreCast. The films intertextual relationship with the first film in this marathon, Stand by Me, also comes up. And thanks to that influence, we also highlight the films that would shape our own personal coming-of-age stories. It gets a little personal.
Now, jump in the Impala, we gotta go!
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Arthur is a creator of content, lover of movies, and father of dogs. If you want to keep the conversation going, then click here to follow Arthur on Twitter. If you would like to keep up with what Arthur is watching, then head over to Letterboxd and give him a follow!
