plot : a big - time momma 's boy ca n't seem to leave his mother 's crib and make good on the babies that he himself has produced in the world .
he visits his kids ( and their mommas ) every now and then , but his main goal in life is . . .
well , he does n't have any goals .
then one day , his mother gets an ex - gangsta boyfriend and suddenly he is n't as welcome anymore in his own house .
it is n't long after that , that his girlfriends start realizing what a jerk he really is and well . . .
it 's either time to grow up or bow down !
critique : first things first !
this movie ai n't about the " hood " at all , it 's an intelligent film about love , relationships , family , friendship , maturity and growing up .
do not avoid this film because you think it 's about gangbangers and stuff , because it is n't at all .
it 's about you , it 's about me , it 's about your girlfriend , your mother , your problems and your inability to face up to your responsibilities and to , well . . .
grow up !
this is an extremely well - written film , with some of the most developed characters that i 've seen on the screen all year , with superb acting performances to match
.
granted , the film does start a little slow ( and go a little long ) , but hang in there , because once you appreciate and get to know all of its characters , you will be glad that you did .
this is n't a kid 's movie .
this is about the step that you need to take in order to pass into full " adulthood " and some might not appreciate the grander theme behind that step .
i certainly did , because i too passed , and am passing , through many of these very same things right now ( yeah ,
yeah ,
i still live with my momma ! ! )
and related to a lot of the events that went down in this flick (
oh yeah ,
and for the record , i 'm not black but that made absolutely zero difference in this case ) .
but that 's not even half the story .
you see , the film is damn funny , too . . .
and
i mean , damn funny !
i was crackin ' up at almost every other scene , and they were n't " set - up jokes " like your typical comedies either , just day - to - day things that we could all relate to ( like the scene in which ving rhames is " drinking koolaid " in the kitchen and his infamously improvised " african squat f
* * k " scene , which you just got ta see to believe ! )
and there are the performances , too .
ving rhames , now here 's a man who has already established an early lead in the race for best supporting actor at the end of this year .
damn dude , you scared the shit outta me !
tyrese gibson
, i have no idea where this guy came from ( an r&b singer and mtv
vj
, you say .
. .
hmmmm ? ) , but other than his uncanny resemblance to taye diggs ,
he nailed this part to the tee .
from scene one on , i was glued to his performance and sympathized with his character as he molded and shaped himself into the person that he hoped to become one day .
and everyone else , too .
gibson 's girlfriend in the film , taraji henson , made me a backer with her many subtle touches , all of which helped raise her character several levels above the " typical " bitchie girlfriend that we 've seen in many of these relationship movies .
but that 's the thing that i liked the most about this movie .
everyone seemed real , the situations felt authentic , the characters all came across as people like you and me with issues and struggles and hopes and fears .
i liked this movie a lot because it was masterfully written , wonderfully acted and genuinely entertaining to watch
.
and yeah ,
i even liked the whole homage to boyz ' n the hood that singleton pulled off in the end ( he called this movie a " companion piece " to that film ) .
a very solid follow - up to an ever greater original , baby boy is a film to be seen by anyone who feels like they never wanna grow up .
note : the guy who plays jody 's best friend in this movie is omar gooding , cuba gooding jr .
's
younger brother ( cuba starred in 1991 's boyz ' n the hood ) .
where 's joblo coming from ?
the best man ( 8/10 ) - brothers ( 5/10 ) - shaft ( 7/10 ) - summer of sam ( 7/10 ) - what 's cooking ( 7/10 )
Output: P