Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Encyclopedia
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody
film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans
. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
, the film spoofs a number of black
, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice
, Jungle Fever, South Central
, Higher Learning
, Do the Right Thing
, Poetic Justice, New Jack City
, Dead Presidents
, Friday
, and most prominently Boyz n the Hood
and Menace II Society
, all primarily released between 1988 and 1995, and also mixes the names of a few of those titles to form the long title of the film. Some actors in the film also starred in the films the movie parodies, a few even in the same scenes and characters. This is the only Wayans film to feature a soundtrack.
) and his friends Preach (Chris Spencer
) and Crazy Legs (Suli McCullough
). Tray falls in love with the beautiful Dashiki (Tracey Cherelle Jones
), but must contend with her seven children (all with different fathers, none of whom they can identify) and her ex-boyfriend, a recently paroled convict, Toothpick (Darrell Heath). In addition, Tray learns lessons about racism from a self-hating black policeman, Korean grocery store owners, and a mysterious white killer who is an agent of "The Man". Also he has sex with Dashiki (Tracey Cherelle Jones
. Keilaund Goodwin was also in the movie.
gives the film a score of 29% based on 24 reviews.
. It peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200
and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
, the film spoofs a number of black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice
Juice (film)
Juice is a 1992 American crime drama film that stars rapper Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. Additional cast members include Jermaine "Huggy" Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Samuel L. Jackson, and features cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, EPMD, Special Ed, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, Flex Alexander, Fab Five...
, Jungle Fever, South Central
South Central (film)
South Central is a 1992 drama film, written and directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson. This film is an adaptation of the 1987 novel Crips by Donald Bakeer, a former high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles. The film stars Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, and Christian Coleman. South Central was...
, Higher Learning
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...
, Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
, Poetic Justice, New Jack City
New Jack City
New Jack City is a 1991 crime film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic...
, Dead Presidents
Dead Presidents
Dead Presidents is a 1995 American crime film written by Michael Henry Brown and also written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers , starring Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, N'Bushe Wright and Bokeem Woodbine...
, Friday
Friday (film)
Friday is a 1995 stoner comedy-drama-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...
, and most prominently 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...
and Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
, all primarily released between 1988 and 1995, and also mixes the names of a few of those titles to form the long title of the film. Some actors in the film also starred in the films the movie parodies, a few even in the same scenes and characters. This is the only Wayans film to feature a soundtrack.
Plot
Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) is sent to the inner city to live with his father. Tray gets an education about life on the streets from his psychotic, gun-toting cousin Loc Dog (Marlon WayansMarlon Wayans
Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
) and his friends Preach (Chris Spencer
Chris Spencer (actor)
Chris Spencer is an Jamaican American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was the first host of the syndicated late night talk show Vibe, based on the magazine of the same name. He has gone on to star in several film projects such as The Sixth Man, Significant Others, and Postal...
) and Crazy Legs (Suli McCullough
Suli McCullough
Suli McCullough is an American comic-actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of "Crazy Legs" in the spoof movie Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, and for his recurring role as "Mouse" on the WB sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show.McCullough...
). Tray falls in love with the beautiful Dashiki (Tracey Cherelle Jones
Tracey Cherelle Jones
Tracey Cherelle Jones is an African American actress. She has been acting since childhood and has appeared in a multitude of commercials, movies, and television shows....
), but must contend with her seven children (all with different fathers, none of whom they can identify) and her ex-boyfriend, a recently paroled convict, Toothpick (Darrell Heath). In addition, Tray learns lessons about racism from a self-hating black policeman, Korean grocery store owners, and a mysterious white killer who is an agent of "The Man". Also he has sex with Dashiki (Tracey Cherelle Jones
Tracey Cherelle Jones
Tracey Cherelle Jones is an African American actress. She has been acting since childhood and has appeared in a multitude of commercials, movies, and television shows....
. Keilaund Goodwin was also in the movie.
Cast
- Shawn Wayans as Ashtray, the everymanEverymanIn literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
, trying to make his way through a confusing world, is sent by his mother to live in the ghettoGhettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
where his father might teach him how to become a man. Based on Tre Styles from Boyz N the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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...
and Caine Lawson from Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
. - Vivica A. FoxVivica A. FoxVivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
as Ashtray's mother, whose one-scene and one-line cameo in the beginning ends with her son asking: "So will I see you again?" and her replying: "Sorry baby. You know there ain't no positive black females in these movies." Based on Reva Devereaux-Styles from Boyz N the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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...
. - Lahmard TateLahmard TateLahmard J. Tate aka Cuba Jr. is an American actor and is the older brother of famed actor Larenz Tate.Lahmard Tate is famously known for his roles in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood as Ashtray's father and Sabretooth as Leon.Another famous role was in...
as Ashtray's father, Ashtray's temperamental role model who dispenses sage advice to his son. According to Ashtray, is only "a couple years older than I am." Though many references were made to Ashtray possibly being older than he was, such as Ashtray attending a party that he wasn't allowed to go to, because he had to be "18 and older." Based on Furious Styles from Boyz N the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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...
. - Marlon WayansMarlon WayansMarlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
as Loc Dog: Ashtray's cousin and gangsta/drug dealer/criminal. He drives a USPSUnited States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
delivery truck which is loaded in the back with ballistics. Based on "O-Dog" from Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
, "Doughboy" from Boyz n the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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... - Helen MartinHelen MartinHelen Dorothy Martin was an American actress of stage and television who is perhaps most well known for her role in the sitcom 227 as Marla Gibbs' neighbor Pearl.-Early life and education:...
as Grandma, Ashtray and Loc Dog's grandma; a marijuana-smoking, foul-mouthed, church-going old woman. - Chris SpencerChris Spencer (actor)Chris Spencer is an Jamaican American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was the first host of the syndicated late night talk show Vibe, based on the magazine of the same name. He has gone on to star in several film projects such as The Sixth Man, Significant Others, and Postal...
as Preach, Ashtray's friend and former gang member turned 'politically conscious' activist, who appears to have become either a born-again Christian or a devout Muslim, but is now just "confused"; he has a fetishSexual fetishismSexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
for white girls. Based on Sharif from Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
. - Suli McCulloughSuli McCulloughSuli McCullough is an American comic-actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of "Crazy Legs" in the spoof movie Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, and for his recurring role as "Mouse" on the WB sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show.McCullough...
as Crazy Legs: Ashtray's friend; was paralyzed in a drive-byDrive-by shootingA drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
. Has a dream to be a pro dancer. Based on Chris from Boyz N The HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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...
. - Tracey Cherelle JonesTracey Cherelle JonesTracey Cherelle Jones is an African American actress. She has been acting since childhood and has appeared in a multitude of commercials, movies, and television shows....
as Dashiki, the object of Ashtray's affections. A "hood mother" with seven kids by seven different men. Dashiki's address is 6969 PenetrationSexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
Avenue. Based on Ronnie from Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
. - Isaiah Barnes as Doo Rag: Dashiki's oldest son and the only one of her kids who has more than one line of dialogue. He pulls a gun on Ashtray after losing a video game. When he admits he learned about guns from "cartoons and 'hood movies'", Ashtray passionately declares that he and Doo Rag are an endangered species—not because their lives are in danger, but because "rappers are taking all the good acting jobs!". The kid rolls his eyes as Ashtray lectures him about the values of education. Based on Anthony from "Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
" - Darrell Heath as Toothpick, Dashiki's ex-boyfriend, who was just released from prison and still acts like he's incarcerated. He swears he will kill Ashtray for romancing Dashiki.
- Bernie MacBernie MacBernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
as Officer Self Hatred, a cop who harasses Ashtray and Loc Dog. As he has Ashtray pinned against his squad car, he goes on and on about how much he hates black people and anything black. Based on the bully cop from Boyz N the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz 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...
. - Terri J. VaughnTerri J. VaughnTerri J. Vaughn is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as high school secretary Lovita Alizé Jenkins-Robinson on the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. Vaughn also portrayed first-grade teacher Jonelle Abrahams on the UPN/CW sitcom All of Us...
as Keisha: A possessed woman that Loc Dog meets at a late-night party and takes to the cargo hold of his truck. While proceeding to have sex with her, she morphs into a demonic version of herself and proceeds to force Loc Dog to have sex with her. It is unknown what happened after this. - Benjamin N. Everitt as The Man, a pale white man with red hair and glasses, who systematically robs a convenience storeConvenience storeA convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
while the Korean owners are keeping a close, racist eye on Ashtray and Loc Dog and completely ignore his crimes. When Loc Dog is firing his gun at the owners and not hitting them, The Man fires his gun once and hits a hanging light that falls on the owners and kills them. He then tosses his gun to an unwitting Ashtray and Loc Dog, who mistakenly catch it as he peels off a single glove (a reference to the O.J. Simpson case) and scratches their names off his list of black men whom he's framed for crimes. - Keenen Ivory WayansKeenen Ivory WayansKeenen Ivory Wayans is an American actor, comedian, director and writer known as the host and creator of the FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color, which also starred Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, brothers Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, sister Kim Wayans, David Alan Grier, Tommy...
as The Mailman; he pops up various times throughout the film shouting "Message!" whenever a moral lesson is spelled out, just in case the platitude was overlooked by the audience. At the end of the film, when Loc Dog gives a rambling speech ending with the film's title, he says "What the fuck is he talking about?"
Box office
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood collected $8,112,884 from 1,010 theatres its opening weekend, opening at #2 at the box office, averaging $8,032 per theatre. By the end of its theatrical run, the film domestically grossed $20,109,115Critical response
The movie was met with a mixed response from critics. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 29% based on 24 reviews.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on January 30, 1996 by Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. It peaked at #18 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 #3 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...
.