305 S. Campbell, Suite 101
Springfield, MO 65806
(417) 429-0800
info@moxiecinema.com
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects. (R, 112 min.)
7:00 PM
Big Screen Classics 2026 is sponsored by Hotel V.
BOYZ N THE HOOD is the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, and of street life where friendship, pain, danger and love combine to form reality. "The Hood" is a place where drive-by shootings and unemployment are rampant. But it is also a place where harmony coexists with adversity, especially for three young men growing up there: Doughboy (Ice Cube), an unambitious drug dealer; his brother Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a college-bound teenage father; and Ricky's best friend Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who aspires to a brighter future beyond "The Hood." In a world where a trip to the store can end in death, the friends have diverse reactions to their bleak surroundings. Tre's resolve is strengthened by a strong father (Larry Fishburne)who keeps him on the right track. But the lessons Tre learns are put to the ultimate test when tragedy strikes close to home, and violence seems like the only recourse. [Sony]
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Angela Bassett, Miya McGhee
Director: John Singleton
Genre: Drama, Crime
"This is a film that people should see."
— Dennis King, Tulsa World
"Powerful, old-school look at life surrounded by violence."
— Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media
"The kind of timeless cinema that only increases in its importance with each passing day."
— Aaron Murray, Loud and Clear Reviews
"It seems as box-fresh as a pair of white high-tops and as powerful and funny today as it was in 1991."
— Kate Muir, The Times (UK)
"Alongside Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, this was the most astonishing and hard-hitting directorial debut of the 1990s."
— David Parkinson, Radio Times
"In essence, this is a postapocalyptic world. Except what was destroying their landscape wasn’t an alien invasion or a virus. It was ravaged by white supremacy."
— Lawrence Ware, New York Times
"The violence in Boyz N the Hood is neither gratuitous nor melodramatic; its aftermath is shattering. Singleton's powerhouse movie has the impact of a stun gun."
— David Ansen, Newsweek
"Singleton was only 23 when he made this urgent state-of-the-nation drama. But his skill with the camera, handling of actors, and raw dialogue suggests a seasoned pro."
— Neil Smith, Total Film
"Boyz N the Hood is a passionate drama shot with fluency and style, a study of what amounts to life during wartime, with people grimly used to gunfire and helicopters thudding overhead."
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
"Like a jazz ensemble, Singleton and his actors slowly involve us in an almost sensual melange of moods, images and situations that take us inside the ghetto in a way mainstream films almost never do."
— Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"Featuring breakout performances from Cuba Gooding Jr. and NWA's Ice Cube, Singleton's stunning coming-of-age film offers a compelling and compassionate snapshot of life for a young Black man growing up amid the gang culture of South Central Los Angeles."
— Nick Levine, NME (New Musical Express)
