It's ten years later in South Central L.A., and we meet Jody (music artist Tyrese Gibson), a 20-year-old black man who is still living with his mother but has two children of his own, both to different mothers. He is a "baby boy" being forced to face the commitments of real life, as he tries to prove his love to Yvette (Taraji P. Henson, Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle), the mother of his son must overcome his own mistakes at the same time. Meanwhile, Jody's mother has met a new boyfriend (Ving Rhames, Mission: Impossible 2), who lived a hoodlum's life but has now shaped up, and his philosophy on life doesn't mix with Jody's laid-back lifestyle.

      Singleton follows the same pattern he does with Boyz 'N the Hood: The majority of the film is well-executed character development, and the expected violence doesn't come until the third act. However, in Baby Boy, we don't follow the main character from childhood like we do in Boyz. This and the mistakes Jody made in life don't help us to have as much feeling for him as the main characters in Boyz.

      There also isn't the powerful father/son relationship (between the characters played by Laurence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding Jr.) that gave most of the energy to Boyz 'N the Hood. Baby Boy has some of the same family drama, but it lacks the heart and soul Gooding and Fishburne provided in Singleton's first film.

      The closest this movie got to such a relationship is between Jody and Melvin (Ving Rhames). A scene between them at the end is powerful enough to save Baby Boy from becoming a mediocre family drama, and with it, Singleton proves he still has most of what he had in 1991. His writing, for the most part, is fresh and engaging. He speckles in some comedy and still manages to deliver these moments of fine drama with strong character development and solid directing.

      He was also able to assemble a strong cast, led by young star Tyrese Gibson, who proved he can make it in this business. Actresses Taraji P. Henson and A.J. Johnson also hold their own, but rapper Snoop Dogg's role as the antagonist isn't the best casting in Singleton's career. Keep your acting shoes under the bed, Snoop. On the much brighter side, Ving Rhames's great performance was a major help to Singleton's film, and it could be argued that the movie may not have been possible without him.

      This "companion piece" to Boyz 'N the Hood is just about worthy of being called that. John Singleton's theme of family love and violence-is-hell is the same, but it is more powerfully executed in the original. A little more heart was needed here to make an impact, but Baby Boy will still likely find appreciation from all Singleton fans.

Andy Zientek, 2001