BABY BOY --------
Jody (Tyrese Gibson) is a 20-year-old African-American who has fathered two children by two different women, yet still lives at the South Central home of his 36-year-old mother Juanita (A.J. Johnson, "The Inkwell"). Juanita is embarking on a new relationship with reformed old gangsta Melvin (Ving Rhames, "Pulp Fiction") and wishes Jody would get a job, move out and become a man. So does Jody's current girl Yvette (Taraji P. Henson), the mother of his son, who has a steady job, car and place of her own. Producer/writer/director John Singleton examines the social ramifications of Black men being brought up by single women in his companion piece to "Boyz in the Hood," "Baby Boy."
Singleton hits us over the head with his first image - Tyrese Gibson in a fetal position within the womb. Jody isn't really a bad kid, having resisted the pull of violence and being protective of his momma (although the latter impulse could be self-motivated), but he can't commit to a woman or stand on his own two feet. When he does decide to make money, he does so by stealing women's clothing and charming the ladies at a local hairdressing shop into buying. Jody's smart enough to consider what's said to him, though, unlike his homie Sweetpea (Omar Gooding, younger brother of Cuba) who presents an angry face to a world he believes owes him a living.
Jody's relationship with Melvin is a volcano waiting to erupt. He believes his mother's last boyfriend was the reason his younger brother was thrown out of the house and ended up dead. Jody becomes self-righteous over Melvin's past rather than acknowledging the man's present as the owner of a successful landscaping business. Jody also believes that his love for and honesty with Yvette should make up for his dalliances and refusal to move in with her. When Yvette's former boyfriend Rodney (Snoop Dogg) gets out of jail, his decision to make her home his crash-pad is the catalyst for Jody's confrontation with adulthood.
Singleton's story about one young man finally denying the repetition of history is meandering and features a climatic moment straight out of the Hughes' "Menace II Society," yet its sloppiness can be forgiven for the truth and humor that permeates it. While Singleton's decision to include violence as part of Jody's crossing at first seems disappointing, the truth of the matter is that in this society violence can breed respect. The hopeful aspect here is that Jody normally rejects that route and Melvin has put it into his past (watch for Melvin's 'guns and butter' speech, a great piece of writing, not to mention advice).
All of his characters, with the exception of Rodney (Snoop Dogg's really oily in the role), are endearing as they struggle for their piece of happiness. Singleton's directed one of the year's best ensemble casts. Recording artist and MTV veejay Tyrese Gibson delivers a star-making performance as the titular baby boy. A.J. Johnson should be considered as a Best Supporting Actress nominee at year's end for her warm and funny young mom, a woman put into much the same position as Jody's put Yvette, who's now looking for a life of her own. The ever-great Ving Rhames is powerful as the bullish Melvin who turns out to have a lot to offer Jody once Jody lets him. (Rhames also gets some great laughs for a sexual move that Singleton's described as 'the African squat' and the surprise breakfast cooking scene which follows.) Taraji P. Henson is also fine as Yvette. Gibson and Henson have good chemistry as they vacillate between childish bickering and mature love.
The film's soundtrack features a diverse representation of Black music, including Snoop Dogg, Tyrese Gibson and Mr. Tan on the film's theme "Just a Baby Boy." All technical aspects of the film are top notch.
B+
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