John Singleton’s favourite John Singleton movie
The late John Singleton made history in 1991 when he became the first African American filmmaker to receive a ‘Best Director’ nomination from the Academy Awards. The nod of recognition was for his debut feature, Boyz n the Hood, which he formulated while at film school in 1986.
The movie remains particularly prevalent today, from its exploration of themes such as gentrification to the intersections between class and race. Singleton once said, “It’s really of its time, but it’s also timeless because the conditions and things that people are going through still exist.”
He added: “Whether that’s those in urban environments living under a police state, prevalent black-on-black crime, or the nihilistic view of the world that young people have when they don’t see anything else. Neighbourhoods have changed and evolved but many things remain the same, and as long as that’s the case then things won’t change.”
The movie follows childhood friends, played by Cuba Gooding Jr, Ice Cube and Morris Chesnut, who live in Los Angeles, surrounded by increasing rates of violence. Singleton based much of the film on his own experiences, as well as looking to his peers for inspiration.
Not only was it a commercial success, but Boyz n the Hood was critically lauded, especially for its poignant exploration of prevalent topics. From there, Singleton directed Michael Jackson’s ‘Remember the Time’ video before teaming up with the singer’s sister, Janet Jackson, for the film Poetic Justice. Unfortunately, it was reviewed rather negatively, and his next film, Higher Learning, also failed to reach the heights of Boyz n the Hood.
Luckily, Singleton got back on the road to success with 1997’s Rosewood and 2000’s Shaft, both of which were well-received, with the latter grossing over $107 million worldwide. However, it was his fifth release, Baby Boy, that Singleton once picked as his favourite movie he’s ever made.
Released in 2001, Baby Boy stars Tyrese Gibson as Jody Summers, a young man who lives at home with his mother despite fathering two children with two different women. The directionless Jody must find his way in life, and Singleton explores themes like racism and toxic masculinity carefully.
On The Breakfast Club podcast, he selected it as one of his favourite pieces of work, joking that when making the movie, he hoped to “offend black people, but everyone laughed”.
He continued: “It’s got a good looking dude doing all these bad things, but he looks good, so people are like ‘Ahh man!'”
Elsewhere, when talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Singleton explained his love for Baby Boy. “It was just soulful, I made a movie that I wanted to be as soulful as a Marvin Gaye record. That was my goal for better or worse. Not necessarily a perfect film, but just something that you watch, it’s memorable. That’s what I love about that movie.”
