Boyz n the Hood is an Academy Award-nominated 1991 hood film directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Nia Long, and Morris Chestnut, the film depicts life in economically deprived South Central (now South) Los Angeles, California, and was filmed and released in the summer of 1991. It was nominated for both Best Director and Original Screenplay during the 1991 Academy Awards, making John Singleton the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director and the first African-American to be nominated for the award.

In 2002, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.blank">http://www.loc.gov/film/titles.html This film ranked number eight on _Entertainment Weekly's list of the Fifty Best High School Movies .

The film's title is taken from the name of an N.W.A. song, "Boyz-n-the-Hood".

John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. Written by Tad Dibbern

The story of life in South Central Los Angeles, following the fortunes or otherwise of a group of young blacks. Struggling to escape the violence and drugs, some of them opt for education, pinning their hopes on college, others are caught up in the violence that is endemic to the neighbourhood. Written by Murray Chapman