Baby Boy (film)
Encyclopedia
Baby Boy is a 2001 American urban
drama film
written, produced, and directed by John Singleton. It has been considered a sequel of sorts to Singleton's earlier, more famous work Boyz n the Hood
released ten years earlier. The film follows bicycle mechanic Joseph "Jody" Summers as he lives his everyday life in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
) in South Central Los Angeles
. He spends most of his time with his unemployed best friend P (Omar Gooding
) and does not seem interested in becoming a responsible adult. However, he is forced to mature as a result of a ex-con named Melvin (Ving Rhames
) who moves into their home. Another factor is his children - a son with his girlfriend Yvette (Taraji P. Henson
) and a daughter with a girl named Peanut. Yvette constantly asks Jody if he will ever come live with her and their son, but Jody avoids the subject and comes and goes as he pleases. Jody also continues seeing and having sex
with other women, including Peanut. This becomes an issue between him and Yvette as well.
Eventually, Yvette's gangster ex-boyfriend Rodney (Snoop Dogg
) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood to challenge Jody. Rodney attempts to rape Yvette in front of her son, and also tries to kill Jody in a drive-by shooting; however, he is unsuccessful with both efforts. Jody and Sweetpea confront Rodney, and as he attempts to escape, Jody shoots him in the ankle. Sweetpea urges Jody to kill Rodney, but he refuses, at which point Sweetpea kills Rodney himself. Feeling guilty for Rodney's death, Jody prepares to commit suicide
by shooting himself in the head, but thankfully Melvin catches him and takes the gun. After reflecting on the death of Rodney and how he put Yvette and his son in danger by not being around consistently, Jody finally moves out of his mom's house and in with Yvette. Jody has now become a mature man, realizing that his mom's relationship with Melvin is a stable one and that he has a family of his own that he needs to protect and take care of. Afterwards, Jody and Yvette get married and she becomes pregnant with Jody's third child and her second child with him. Sweetpea decides to turn over a new leaf and gets baptized, putting his old life as a street thug behind him.
. It peaked at #41 on the Billboard 200
and #12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
Hood film
Hood film is a film genre originating in the United States in the late 1980s to early 1990s, which features aspects of urban culture such as hip hop music, street gangs, racial discrimination, poverty, and the problems of young black men coming of age or struggling in a predominantly white society...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written, produced, and directed by John Singleton. It has been considered a sequel of sorts to Singleton's earlier, more famous work Boyz n the Hood
Boyz N the Hood
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood film written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Angela Bassett and Regina King, the film depicts life in poor South Central Los Angeles, California and was filmed and released...
released ten years earlier. The film follows bicycle mechanic Joseph "Jody" Summers as he lives his everyday life in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
Plot
An immature young adult named Jody (Tyrese Gibson) lives with his mother Juanita (Adrienne-Joi JohnsonAdrienne-Joi Johnson
Adrienne-Joi Johnson , sometimes credited as A.J. Johnson, is an American actress, choreographer and fitness coach...
) in South Central Los Angeles
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
. He spends most of his time with his unemployed best friend P (Omar Gooding
Omar Gooding
Omar M. Gooding is an American actor. He is the younger brother of veteran actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and the son of singer Cuba Gooding, Sr....
) and does not seem interested in becoming a responsible adult. However, he is forced to mature as a result of a ex-con named Melvin (Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
) who moves into their home. Another factor is his children - a son with his girlfriend Yvette (Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
) and a daughter with a girl named Peanut. Yvette constantly asks Jody if he will ever come live with her and their son, but Jody avoids the subject and comes and goes as he pleases. Jody also continues seeing and having sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
with other women, including Peanut. This becomes an issue between him and Yvette as well.
Eventually, Yvette's gangster ex-boyfriend Rodney (Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood to challenge Jody. Rodney attempts to rape Yvette in front of her son, and also tries to kill Jody in a drive-by shooting; however, he is unsuccessful with both efforts. Jody and Sweetpea confront Rodney, and as he attempts to escape, Jody shoots him in the ankle. Sweetpea urges Jody to kill Rodney, but he refuses, at which point Sweetpea kills Rodney himself. Feeling guilty for Rodney's death, Jody prepares to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by shooting himself in the head, but thankfully Melvin catches him and takes the gun. After reflecting on the death of Rodney and how he put Yvette and his son in danger by not being around consistently, Jody finally moves out of his mom's house and in with Yvette. Jody has now become a mature man, realizing that his mom's relationship with Melvin is a stable one and that he has a family of his own that he needs to protect and take care of. Afterwards, Jody and Yvette get married and she becomes pregnant with Jody's third child and her second child with him. Sweetpea decides to turn over a new leaf and gets baptized, putting his old life as a street thug behind him.
Cast
- Tyrese Gibson as Joseph "Jody" Simmons, an unemployed bike mechanic.
- Omar GoodingOmar GoodingOmar M. Gooding is an American actor. He is the younger brother of veteran actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and the son of singer Cuba Gooding, Sr....
as P, Jody's best friend. - Taraji P. HensonTaraji P. HensonTaraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
as Yvette, Jody's girlfriend and the mother of his son. - Snoop DoggSnoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
as Rodney, Yvette's ex-boyfriend and the film's. - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as Melvin, Juanita's ex-con boyfriend. - Adrienne-Joi JohnsonAdrienne-Joi JohnsonAdrienne-Joi Johnson , sometimes credited as A.J. Johnson, is an American actress, choreographer and fitness coach...
as Juanita, Jody's mother. - Mo'Nique as Patrice, Juanita's best friend.
- Angell ConwellAngell ConwellAngell Conwell is an American actress.Conwell was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and moved to Columbia, South Carolina at the age of 2. She attended Seven Oaks Elementary School in Columbia where she was the first African-American student body president. In 1994, she moved to Los Angeles to...
as Kim, P's girlfriend. - Tamara LaSeon Bass as Peanut, the mother of Jody's baby daughter.
- Tawny Dahl as Pandora, Yvette's coworker and a pursuer of Jody.
Development
- The lead role was originally written for Tupac ShakurTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
in 1996, but when he died, production for the film was put on hold. Jody listens to many of Shakur's songs and has a picture of him on his wall. - Singleton originally wrote the role of Rodney for Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
. - The cast won a special award at the Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film FestivalThe Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
in 2001. The film was also in the running for the Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize.
Box office
The film opened at #5 at the North American box office making $8.6 million in its opening weekend.Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on June 19, 2001 by Universal RecordsUniversal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. It peaked at #41 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.