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"BABY BOY"
(2001) (Tyrese Gibson, Taraji Henson) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Heavy Moderate Extreme Heavy Extreme
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate Minor Mild *Heavy Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Extreme Heavy Moderate Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Drama: A young and unemployed black man learns that he must grow up and take responsibility for his actions, behavior and life.
PLOT:
Jody (TYRESE GIBSON) is a 20-year-old African-American who is unemployed, misguided and has yet to grow up. The father of two children by two different women -- Yvette (TARAJI HENSON) and Peanut (TAMARA LaSEON BASS) - Jody still lives at home with his single, 36-year-old mother, Juanita (A.J. JOHNSON), and spends his time - when not sleeping around - hanging out with his thug friend, Sweetpea (OMAR GOODING).

Things change in his life when his mother starts seeing Melvin (VING RHAMES), a former gangster and convict who's changed his lifestyle and become a self-employed businessman who's trying to do the right thing. Jody fears that Melvin, despite his seemingly gentle demeanor and street-honed philosophical ways, will eventually beat his mother like her boyfriends before him, or at least cause her finally to kick him out of the house.

To make matters worse, Yvette wants Jody to stop sleeping around - something he doesn't want to do - and he must also deal with Rodney (SNOOP DOGG), an "acquaintance" of hers who's just been released from prison and has stopped by for an unexpected and prolonged visit. As Jody tries to deal with all of that and make something of his life, he eventually realizes he must take responsibility for his past, present and future.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or of gritty, urban dramas mixed with comedy, it's probably not very likely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For strong sexuality, violence, language and some drug use.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • TYRESE GIBSON plays a young black man who's yet to find his place in the world. He's already fathered two children by two different women but hasn't married or moved in with either of them as he still lives with his mother. He also smokes pot, uses strong profanity, sells stolen clothes and takes justice into his own hands by shooting someone who's wronged him.
  • TARAJI HENSON plays his girlfriend and mother to one of his children. She has an abortion, uses strong profanity and wants Jody to stop sleeping around.
  • A.J. JOHNSON plays his single mother who smokes, has sex with Melvin, uses strong profanity and tries to give good advice to her son whom she hopes will soon move out.
  • VING RHAMES plays a former thug who's now changed his life around and is a businessman, dispensing "I've been there and done that" advice to Jody. He also smokes cigars, uses strong profanity and has sex with Juanita.
  • OMAR GOODING plays Jody's best friend who uses strong profanity, shoots and kills someone, smokes pot and threatens and punches others.
  • SNOOP DOGG plays a recently released convict who uses strong profanity, tries to rape Yvette and kill Jody, and basically acts like a thug who won't leave Yvette's place.
  • TAMARA LaSEON BASS plays the mother of one of Jody's other kids. She smokes a joint with him and uses strong profanity.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a quick look at the content found in this R-rated drama/occasional comedy. Profanity is listed as extreme due to at least 134 uses of the "f" word, while many other expletives and colorful phrases (some occurring in songs on the soundtrack) are also used. A great deal of dialogue is sexually explicit and concerns the protagonist's girlfriend confronting him with sleeping around. Various sexual encounters are seen (intercourse and/or oral sex) and include nudity, movement and related sounds. Some nonsexual nudity (bare breasts & butts) is also present, and a woman is noted as just having had an abortion.

    Violence consists of a man being chased and shot to death (with bloody results), various people punching/hitting others, a drive-by shooting (no one is injured, although a fantasy moment shows a person being shot with bloody results), and an attempted rape. Some of these scenes may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers, and the perpetrators of them, along with other characters, have varying degrees of bad attitudes (some of them quite bad).

    Various characters smoke and/or drink, while some smoke marijuana (and one is caught growing it). Some tense family moments are also present. Due to the content that's present in the film, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings should you still be concerned about its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Jody and Peanut share a joint, and we later hear them asking people on the street if they want some "weed."
  • We see various people coming out of a liquor store with their purchases.
  • Jody and Sweetpea smoke what look like joints.
  • Juanita drinks some wine, and Melvin then has some as well.
  • A woman smokes a joint.
  • Jody buys some liquor at the liquor store.
  • One of Rodney's friends has a joint in his mouth.
  • Juanita finds a cannabis plant growing in her garden and accuses Jody of planting it, but it turns out that Melvin was the culprit (and Jody makes a comment about someone "getting blazed").
  • Rodney smokes a joint.
  • Rodney's friend drinks liquor straight from the bottle.
  • Juanita has some wine.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Jody has a dream of a person shooting a gun and then sees a dead person on the ground with some blood from their mouth.
  • We see blood on a man's shirt from being shot twice, but this turns out to be a fantasy and the man isn't harmed.
  • Blood squirts out as a man is shot twice in the legs and we then see a pool of blood next to him on the street after he's shot dead.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Those opposed to abortion probably won't like a scene where Yvette leaves a woman's clinic after having had one.
  • We learn that Jody has children by two different women, but isn't married or living with either. He later states that while he loves Yvette, he does have sex with other women, and makes no apologies for that.
  • Jody isn't happy about his mother seeing Melvin and makes that point very well known many times.
  • We see that Jody is paying some guys to sell him clothes off the back of a delivery truck (meaning they're illegally selling them to him).
  • We learn that Melvin was a former criminal and spent ten years in prison, but has now (mostly) turned around his ways.
  • One of Yvette's co-workers comes on to Jody, trying to get him to have sex with her.
  • The boyfriend to one of Yvette's friends is disrespectful to the latter as she talks to Yvette on the phone.
  • Some young thugs steal Jody's bike and the liquor he just bought before attacking him and repeatedly kicking him as he lies in the parking lot.
  • Rodney has both for being a released convict who stays at Yvette's house (uninvited), won't leave, nearly rapes her and then tries to kill Jody (after stealing Yvette's car and money).
  • Juanita finds a cannabis plant growing in her garden and accuses Jody of planting it, but it turns out that Melvin was the culprit.
  • Jody and Sweetpea take justice into their own hands, shooting and killing a thug.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.
  • After Yvette rejects his romantic/sexual advances, Rodney nearly rapes her (after smacking her down to her bed), but stops when she asks if he's going to do so in front of her young son (who repeatedly pleads with Rodney to stop and get off his mother).
  • Jody walks up to Yvette's car (that has tinted windows), not realizing that Rodney and his thugs are inside waiting to ambush him. Rodney then lowers the window and opens fire on Jody, seemingly hitting him (we see blood on his shirt, but the wounds turn out to be a fantasy). Sweetpea then runs out into the street and fires many shots at the car as it speeds away.
  • Jody briefly aims a gun at Melvin who calmly, but slowly removes it from his hand.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound and kill people. See "Violence" for details.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "What the f*ck are you talking about?" "F*ck you," "You little dumb m*therf*ckers," "You're so f*cking selfish," "F*ck that," "Get the f*ck out of here," "You're f*cking crazy," "Get the f*ck off of me," "That's f*cked up," "Shut the f*ck up," "Who the f*ck are you talking to?" "I f*cked up," "You don't know sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "You're so full of sh*t," "I didn't do sh*t," "I don't wanna hear that sh*t," "Talking sh*t," "Oh, sh*t," "Nigger(s)" (said many times throughout the film), "Whores," "Thug ass nigger," "Bitch(es)" (said many times), "Tight ass," "Broke ass," "That's a big bitch," "Bastard," "Old ass," "Hell no," "Kiss my ass," "Black ass," "Shut up," "Little ass," "Bitch ass nigger," "Stupid ass," "Lazy ass," "Whores," "Nuts" (testicles), "Punk ass" and "Get your ass up."
  • The actions/behavior of various characters (such as running after and gunning down a rival, being promiscuous, etc.), if seen as role models by certain kids, may be enticing for some of them to imitate.
  • Both Melvin and Jody have various tattoos on their bodies, while Juanita has a pierced nostril and navel and Yvette has a small tattoo on the inside of one breast.
  • A woman gives "the finger" to Jody.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Melvin suddenly grabs Jody around the neck.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A mild amount of suspenseful/ominous music plays in a few scenes.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song has a lyric about "getting p*ssy" and uses the term "niggers" repeatedly, while another uses the "f" and "s" words several times and a third may use the "f" word repeatedly, but it was hard to tell exactly what was being said.
  • Other songs that play during the film have lyrics that couldn't be understood, thus offering the possibility of them containing additional objectionable material.
  • PROFANITY
  • Due to the rapid fire delivery of some of the dialogue/profanity, the following should be considered a minimum: At least 134 "f" words (33 used with "mother," 29 used sexually as are the terms "hitting" and "doing it"), 94 "s" words, 12 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck"), 4 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 93 asses, 12 damns, 7 hells, 3 S.O.B.s, 8 uses of "G-damn," 6 of "Oh my God" and 1 use of "God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see the side of Jody's bare butt as he lies (as an adult) in a womb in a fantasy/dream.
  • Jody walks in and sees Peanut in the shower (we see her bare breasts). Later, she shows cleavage and straddles him on a bed (both are clothed).
  • We briefly see a photo/magazine page on a wall in Jody's room that shows a bare breasted woman.
  • Jody has a dream where we see a brief view of him on top of a woman/from behind her, with some thrusting.
  • After Yvette tells a friend on the phone that Jody still lives at home, the friend replies, "Let him f*ck his momma."
  • Juanita shows some cleavage in a form-fitting dress she wears, and then does the same later in the film.
  • During a discussion, one of Juanita's friends mentions that something they're talking about sounds like sex.
  • While trying to sell women's clothing to ladies in a salon, Jody runs some fabric over a woman's bare back to show her how soft it is.
  • Jody finds Melvin cooking breakfast in the morning at his house, suggesting he spent the night with Juanita. We then see that Melvin is doing so buck naked (and we see his bare butt, but a towel on the tray he carries covers up any related frontal view of him).
  • Jody hears Melvin and his mother having sex with related sounds and exclamations. We then see them in various stages of having sex, with him apparently giving her oral sex (not explicitly seen but he jokes that she's going to give him a cavity - or something like that). We then see her with her legs wrapped around his waist (with her saying she loves to ride) and then them jumping through a room in that same position (we see the side of his bare butt).
  • Yvette asks Jody if he's been "f*cking around." He states that he hasn't but she then tells him that she wants to smell his "d*ck" to see for herself. She then unzips his pants and smells down there (just below the camera shot), but doesn't find any evidence (causing her to state that he probably washed it off). More sexual uses of the "f" word occur during their argument. She finally gets him to admit that he was at a strip club where he got a private dance (but she suspects more happened). She then reminds him of how many "d*cks" those dancers suck every night.
  • After they continue this argument, we then quickly cut to a scene of them having sex with her repeating, "I love you." We see various, quickly edited shots of them having sex in many different positions (him behind her while standing, him lying on top of her from behind, her on top, etc.) with several views of her bare breasts. Various sexual comments are also made (her stating she's about to come), sexual sounds are heard and sexual movement is seen. We also see the side of her bare butt and then his bare butt as they get into the "spoons" position after they're done. We later see him standing nude, with his crotch just barely below the bottom of the camera shot.
  • Jody mentions that Yvette thinks he's "f*cking" somebody.
  • Melvin tells Jody (after grabbing him in a headlock) that if they were in prison, Jody would be on his knees fixing their problem (meaning oral sex).
  • Melvin playfully slaps Juanita on her clothed rear end.
  • A woman shows a great deal of thigh in her short skirt as she tells Jody that they don't need to talk as all she wants is his "d*ck." He then asks her, "Why do you want to f*ck me?" This woman then keeps coming on to him, kissing his face and it seems that she has her hand on his crotch. He then gets up to leave, but she tells him not to be like that and for him to cover over to her to "get this p*ssy." She then puts his hand on her clothed butt, asking that he doesn't want to be "hitting this." He states that he doesn't have any condoms, but she shows some. She then pushes him down onto the sofa, we hear her undoing his pants, and then see his reaction to her apparently performing oral sex on him. She then opens her robe to reveal her in her bra and panties just before she straddles him on the sofa. She then opens the condom and apparently puts it on him (not explicitly seen), all while he keeps stating that he can't go through with this. He eventually pushes her off, stating "I can't f*ck you." She then states that she can get "d*ck" anytime she wants, causing him to eventually state that she doesn't know how to "suck d*ck."
  • Yvette finds wrapped condoms in the back of her car and confronts Jody about whether he's having sex with other women in her car (this includes a great more sexually explicit dialogue using the "f" word), as she notes there's only one condom left in the three-pack.
  • After getting into a fight, Jody pulls off Yvette's pants (we see her in her black panties), spreads her legs and then lies on top of her (clothed). He then pulls up her shirt, kisses her belly and then apparently performs oral sex on her (we see her thigh up over his shoulder) and we see her pleasured reaction (as she imagines all sorts of future events as this occurs) up to the point of orgasm.
  • We see a small tattoo on the inside of Yvette's breast.
  • Someone makes a comment about "doing it."
  • As Yvette talks to her girlfriend on the phone, that woman's boyfriend is mad at her for being on the phone and makes some sexually related comments to her (he states something about her coming over to him so that he can "drop it" in her drawers, about her putting his "nuts" in her mouth, etc.) before eventually having sex from behind her while standing while she's still on the phone (we hear some sexual sounds and see movement, but don't see nudity).
  • Yvette tells Jody that she's not "f*cking" Rodney if that's what he's thinking.
  • Jody calls up Peanut and tells her he wants to give her a "sample." She replies, "When I want some d*ck, maybe I'll call you."
  • As Rodney tries coming on to Yvette sexually (smacking her clothed butt), she says he'll never "taste this."
  • We see Juanita on top of Melvin in bed and see the side of her bare breasts (no sex occurs, just caressing/cuddling as she's upset).
  • SMOKING
  • Juanita smokes around 10 times, Melvin smokes cigars around 5 times, Rodney smokes a few times and Jody and Sweetpea each smoke once (although they could be joints instead), as do some miscellaneous characters.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Jody briefly mentions a brother of his whom his mother kicked out of the house and is now dead.
  • We hear that Melvin doesn't get along that well with his kids.
  • The relationship between Jody and his mom becomes strained as he constantly rides her about Melvin and she's growing tired of him still living at home (he eventually and abruptly decides to move out).
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The film's early claim that thanks to society and the terms that black men use for their women, friends and residence, they think of themselves as babies.
  • The fact that Jody has children by two different women but has neither married nor moved in with them, but instead still lives at home, and has sex with many different women.
  • Abortion (we learn that Yvette had one near the beginning of the film).
  • We briefly see what looks like a transvestite working in a beauty salon.
  • Jody and Sweetpea take justice into their own hands, shooting and killing a thug.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Jody has a dream of a person shooting a gun and then sees a dead person on the ground with some blood from their mouth.
  • Yvette pushes Jody backwards during an argument.
  • Melvin suddenly grabs Jody around the neck, putting him into a one-arm chokehold that he keeps on him for several moments until slapping him on the head.
  • While arguing about him cheating on her, Yvette punches Jody in the chest. She then pushes him away and punches him several times, finally quite hard in the face. He then backhands to the floor, causing her to break out crying.
  • Some young thugs attack Jody and repeatedly kick him as he lies in a parking lot.
  • Sweetpea and Jody then find those thugs and hold their guns on them. Jody then pushes one backwards before punching him and hurting his hand. Sweetpea then decides he has to teach Jody how to punch people. Accordingly, he punches one, sending him to the ground. Jody then punches the same thug again in the face, with Sweetpea then punching another and sending him to the ground. Sweetpea refrains from punching the last standing thug, but instead pulls out some sort of rod/stick and repeatedly hits the thug quite hard with it.
  • During a heated argument, Jody pushes Melvin backwards, causing the much larger man to punch Jody and send him flying across the room where he lands on and breaks a coffee table. Still mad, Melvin then repeatedly punches a door.
  • After Yvette rejects his romantic/sexual advances, Rodney nearly rapes her (after smacking her down to her bed), but stops when she asks if he's going to do so in front of her young son (who repeatedly pleads with Rodney to stop and get off his mother).
  • Jody walks up to Yvette's car (that has tinted windows), not realizing that Rodney and his thugs are inside waiting to ambush him. Rodney then lowers the window and opens fire on Jody, seemingly hitting him (we see blood on his shirt, but the wounds turn out to be a fantasy). Sweetpea then runs out into the street and fires many shots at the car as it speeds away.
  • Rodney punches Jody in the face.
  • Jody and Sweetpea chase after a man with guns. Sweetpea fires a shot that blows out the back window of a car and Jody does the same. Two shots then hit the fleeing man in the legs (with blood squirting out) and when Jody can't finish the job, Sweetpea fires several shots, killing the man (we don't see the impact, but we do see the pool of blood next to the man on the street).
  • Jody briefly aims a gun at Melvin who calmly, but slowly removes it from his hand.



  • Reviewed June 13, 2001 / Posted June 27, 2001

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