Boyz n the Hood was a film I was nervous to cover but it’s too big a movie with too rich a legacy to ignore if you’re going to look at the successes and major films of a year. It features incredible performances from a stacked cast including Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr, Ice Cube and so many others. It’s also a deeply personal film from writer-director John Singleton that is just as captivating 30+ years later.
1991 Articles, Reviews and Behind The Scenes Clips
This movie was well celebrated when it came out and quickly recognized for its unique perspective and talented execution. Here is a *small* sampling to give you some context.
Entertainment Weekly review ~ not as glowing a review as you’d expect but still praise for the performances from Owen Gleiberman.
Entertainment Weekly article ~ A look back on the summer of ‘91 (during the fall of ‘91)
Roger Ebert review ~ Ebert on the other hand, adored this film and was an early and frequent champion of Singleton’s film.
Siskel & Ebert Clip ~ Just two masters at work celebrating a great movie.
Friendly Fire documentary ~ A nice behind the scenes on the making of the film featuring interviews with cast and crew.
Retrospectives
Ringer retrospective ~ Ringer highlights some of the complicated reception this film received
Vanity Fair 25 years look back ~ great look back on why the film is still important today.
Guardian look back ~ More great words about why this movie holds up completely today.
This is just scratching the surface of articles and retrospectives you can find to look at Boyz n the Hood. Enjoy the film, enjoy the podcast and thanks for reading.