Hangin' with the Homeboys

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Hangin' with the Homeboys
Hangin' with the Homeboys.jpg
VHS cover
Directed by Joseph Vasquez
Written byJoseph Vasquez
Produced byRichard Brick
Starring Doug E. Doug
Mario Joyner
John Leguizamo
Nestor Serrano
CinematographyAnghel Decca
Edited byMichael Schweitzer
Music by Mick Mars
Production
companies
Juno Pix
New Line Cinema
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
January 1991 (Sundance)
  • April 5, 1991 (1991-04-05)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget<$2 million [1]
Box office$532,993 [2]

Hangin' with the Homeboys is a 1991 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Vasquez. [3] It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. [4] [5] It was released by New Line Cinema on April 5, 1991. [6]

Contents

Plot

Tom, Willie, Johnny, and Vinny are four friends who grew up together in the Bronx. Tom aspires to be an actor and sells magazine subscriptions over the phone to pay the rent. Johnny, the youngest of the group, works in a supermarket; though he's been encouraged to go to college, he's afraid to take the first step—filling out an application for a scholarship. Vinny is a smooth-talking ladies' man who hides his Puerto Rican heritage behind the lie that he's Italian. Willie is unemployed and unemployable, convinced that he's oppressed by racial prejudice.

On a Friday night, the friends go out for a "guys' night" in Manhattan and suffer various disasters, (Tom wrecks his car, Willie gets the guys thrown out of a party) most of which they bring on themselves. During their night out, their relationships with one another become strained as the events lead to conflict between them.

Cast

Reception

Hangin’ with the Homeboys received largely positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of 93% from 41 reviews. [7]

Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader called it "a beautiful film" [8] and Variety commented the film "is infused with an aggressive and engaging street energy and plenty of humor". [1] Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel said "this semiautobiographical production has an exuberance that recalls such other coming-of-age movies as American Graffiti and Diner ". [9] Though Boyar said the film gets "slightly preachy at the end…Director Vasquez treats the people in his movie sympathetically, but with an edge of irony that makes most of what happens humorous." [9] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune wrote the film "transcends its drive-in title to become a compelling Cassavetes-like study of male friendship." [10] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "the actors fill out their roles, especially Leguizamo, who gives Johnny a furtive, soulful complexity. He lends an emotional credence to the film’s message, which is that you have to help yourself — not because some phony 'go for it' triumph awaits, but because if you don’t no one else will." [11]

Accolades

The film won the prize for Audience Award at the Deauville American Film Festival. [12] It was also nominated for several awards at the 7th Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay for Vasquez, Best Male Lead for Doug E. Doug, Best Supporting Female for Mary B. Ward, and Best Film Music for David Chackler and Joel Sill. [13]

Soundtrack

  1. "The Power (Homeboys Mix)" - Snap
  2. "Rock Bottom" - 2 in a Room
  3. "Dance All Night (House Mix)" - Poison Clan
  4. "Swingin'" - Prince Akeem
  5. "Ticket to Heaven" - The Knowledge featuring Kenny Bobien
  6. "Do You Believe" - Beat Goes Bang
  7. "Pretty Girls" - Stevie B
  8. "Games" - Trinere
  9. "We Want Some Pussy" - The 2 Live Crew
  10. "Vacate the Premises" - The 2awk
  11. "What Is Black" - Billy Box
  12. "Hangin' With the Homeboys and Dr. Feelgood" - The 2 Live Crew

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References

  1. 1 2 "Hangin' with the Homeboys". Variety. December 31, 1990. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Hangin' with the Homeboys". Box Office Mojo .
  3. ↑ Holden, Stephen (May 24, 1991). "Review/Film; Homeboys Hangin' Downtown". The New York Times . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ "1991 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance.org . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ Harmetz, Aljean (January 17, 1991). "Sundance Film Festival Veers From Mainstream". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Salzberg, Charles (May 19, 1991). "FILM; How the 'Homeboys' Got That Way". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Hangin' with the Homeboys". Rotten Tomatoes .
  8. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (October 26, 1985). "Hangin' With the Homeboys". Chicago Reader. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Boyar, Jay (October 12, 1991). "Streets have heart in 'Homeboys'". Orlando Sentinel . p. 53. Retrieved January 2, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Kehr, Dave (September 27, 1991). "Subtlety drives home Homeboys message". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (June 7, 1991). "Hangin' with the Homeboys". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Hanging Out With 'The Homeboys'". Los Angeles Times . September 25, 1991. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Homeboys', 'Idaho' Lead Spirit Nominees". Chicago Tribune. January 23, 1992. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
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