4-2 Milestone

The film "Boys in the Hood" has had a significant impact on audiences, with critics praising its depth and compassion. Lawrence War, a New York Times writer, shared his personal experience of watching the film as a child and how it taught him important lessons about racism and interacting with authority figures. The film resonated particularly with young black boys and men, who saw themselves represented and felt seen by the movie. However, there were also criticisms that the film glorified violence and gangs, leading to incidents of violence in theaters upon its release. Despite the controversy, the film's message of embracing or escaping chaos remains relevant today. The film also raises questions about media's portrayal of gangs and violence and the need for positive change in communities. Gentrification has transformed the community depicted in the film, and there is a significant difference in the racial makeup and business ownership in the area since the film's release. The film Hello everyone, and we are back with our exploration into Boys in the Hood. This week, we are going to take a look at some of the reviews and opinions that people have had about the film, especially recently, decades after the movie's release in 1991. Being what it is, this story has had a great impact on many of those that have watched it, and enabled them to relate to numerous aspects. The critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes stated, Well-acted and thematically rich, Boys in the Hood observes black America with far more depth and compassion than many of the like-minded films its success inspired. From the 70 critic reviews, the movie received a 96% rating, and a 93% from the 100,000-plus audience member reviews. Overall, audience members expressed that they were incredibly moved by the characters, what they were going through, and the overall power that the movie had. No one really noted any surprise of aspects of the film, but were left feeling sad about the outcome laid out for Ricky and Doughboy. One piece that truly stuck out to me as I was sifting through critics' and individuals' opinions was written by Lawrence War in the New York Times, titled Boys in the Hood at 30, a vivid examination of racism at work. War was 10 years old when the film came out, and his mother found it important at the time to take him to the theaters to watch from an educational view, and while confused at first, once the names were rolling down the screen, Lawrence completely understood. Each time a different scene would play out in front of him, he felt like he grasped more and more the lessons he was being taught, for example, about why it's important to handle yourself in front of an officer a certain way. He said he sat right up in the theater when Sirius and a young Trey were having a conversation about the Army as it mimicked ones he had with his own grandfather. Not only was the film powerful for the black community, but especially for young black boys and men, who unrightfully so faced hurdles and stereotypes in this society that can be impossible to overcome for some. Many felt seen by this film, and that it forced many to look at an issue in our society that, unintentionally or not, we were ignoring. Towards the end of his piece, War wrote about the characters. They are either embracing the chaos that surrounds them or trying to escape it. I believe this is one of the most important messages that audience members took away from the movie, and even three decades later, the film represents the same message. However, when the film first came out, the outcome was not strictly success and compassion. Another perspective on the film and its message was that it glorified violence and gangs. About 30 years later, The Ringer brought us back to and wrote about the unfortunate violence that occurred in different theaters across the United States and was threatening the so-far $10 million box office opening success. Two people were killed, and more than 30 were injured in accidents that took place in 12 states. Some theaters canceled screenings, others took additional precautions, including installing metal detectors and employing extra security. This caused many to run even further with their preconceived notion that the film would only incite more problems. A police chief at the time was on record insinuating the connection between the movie and the violence. Singleton was sadly forced to defend the film against these actions as he was not responsible for the choices others make. The movie was made to express peace and highlight Trey's journey. Executives had to debate pulling the movie from certain theaters or not showing it, but decided to provide more security in the end for any that wanted it as they truly believed in the film and its meaning. Many defended the film 30 years ago, and as we can see from the reviews, even from today, the film came out stronger than the criticism thrown its way. There are a couple of questions we touched on last week that I'd like to bring up again. Does the media highlight or glorify gangs and violence? And what can change these communities for the better? In general, different factions of media can glorify things they'd rather not. However, this film and so many of its successors have highlighted these issues in the hope of awareness and change. War discussed in his piece that, today, gentrification has dramatically altered the community represented in Boys in the Hood, and Black communities like it around the country. Did this help the community? Or did it build a new one for new people to come in on the backs of those previously there? The population as of 2020 in South LA is almost 161,300 people, and of those, 34.4% are White and 23.2% are Black, an almost 20,000 difference in the makeup of the population. In 1990, a year before the film's release, the percentages were very different. There were nearly 371,000 people living there, and 46.73% were Black, and a mere 2.5% were White. In the LA area right now, there are 7,200 Black businesses, accounting for 2% of employer businesses. If Black businesses accounted for 7.6% of employer firms, which would be equivalent to the Black population, there would be 18,725 more Black businesses. This is what made Ferris's speech in the film so vital and eye-opening to me, as we are all still struggling in communities across the country to absorb and act upon the messages taught to us 30 years ago. Coming into analyzing this film and the reactions surrounding it, I knew the movie was a statement and had a bit of an educational standpoint to it, but I was taken aback when I actually watched the film. It surprised me just how educational it was, and incredible at showing our society a reality of itself often in the shadows. But that will be all for this week. I can't wait to read through everyone's thoughts and contributions, and next week we'll continue to explore Boys in the Hood from another angle. Have a great week, everyone.