Snoop Dogg, and Tyrese, Courtesy Photo

The movie's introductory scene is a most unique and disturbing one. It depicts a 20-something year-old black male curled up in a fetal position in what looks like a living womb. From then on, the movie is a graphic portrayal of one of the central themes in Dr. Frances Cress Welsing's best-selling book "The Isis Papers." This theme though controversial is accurate: Under the system of racism/white supremacy, many black males are forced to function like babies. Every inch of her hypothesis is displayed as accurate, as the male (and female) characters of this movie, suffer from "dependency depravation," the trauma caused by the system of racism depriving many black people of access to their biological fathers.

I could not believe it. Here is John Singleton making a movie where he prefaces that the actions of the black male are shaped by the system of racism (white supremacy). Combined with Spike' s last effort, "Bamboozled," maybe there is definitely something new to look forward to from "black" filmmakers in the New Millennium. If you have had the pleasure to read Welsing's "The Isis Papers," then you too would be amazed at how much true social commentary this movie delivers on the effects of racism/white supremacy on many black people today.

But as I sat there holding on to my seat, waiting for the on screen "revolution" (although not televised, a major motion picture would do!), I saw that it was not to be, or at least it was over after the intro. This most poignant element was short and without it the film turned out to be just as I suspected, "Baby Boyz in the Hood II."

"Baby Boy" is very good "hood" story about a wayward young brother trying to get himself together and "grow up," replete with booming hip hop, intense sex scenes and violence. One of the intense sex scenes which had some people in the theater wondering how the lead actor and actress could not be actually having sex, reminded me of an old Richard Pryor routine. Pryor's routine goes: "When you living with a black woman, every two weeks or so, you have to f--- or fight, one of the two. Now if you can, it's always nice to f--- after you fight. Now that's when you' really in love."

The performance in "Baby Boy" is great. This is particularly true of the female lead, Angell Conwell, (Kim), who stars with model, singer and VeeJay turned lead actor Tyrese, (Jody). Word is she's local talent from Howard University. Ving Rhames does a superb job as Jody's Mama's new Old G boyfriend Melvin. Cuba Gooding's brother, Omar, holds down an interesting character (Sweet Pea ) who you actually can have an affinity for even after he "buss a cap in a nigga" on Saturday night and get baptized on Sunday.

After the screening, Dr. Welsing said that she was consulted several times during the review process for the script to the movie. In interviews Singleton has said that he had read "The Isis Papers" and had wanted to put aspects of the book in a movie. She said that she had insisted that the intro not say that her theory states that the black male "is a baby" which is incorrect, but that he is often forced to "function" or "act like" a baby, due to the system of racism/white supremacy.

She said that she was not sure how or why a decision was made to only use the word "racism" and delete its synonym "white supremacy" in the movie's introductory narrative. Dr. Welsing said that both terms must be linked as white supremacy is the only "functional" form of racism. When asked what she thought was the most significant theme of the movie? Dr. Welsing said, "Well let's look at it this way, we now have a major Hollywood film, which literally starts out with the hypothesis, and subscribes to theory that most of the unproductive behavior of black males can be attributed to the system of mistreatment, and that is the system of racism/white supremacy. In fact I predict that the system of white supremacy may cause the introduction to be removed from future versions of the film altogether."

One reason Singleton may have been able get away with such a controversial and counter racist message is because it is limited to the opening scene. Odds are most black people will miss or talk through it. After that, it's a long entertaining movie. The bite at the beginning is lost, and by the time we reach the end we are caught up in a romantic ghetto fabulous ending with an unwed mother an her baby fatha, looking forward to the birth of a "baby gangsta."

I left the film wondering, Are most black people going to just see a good "hood" film?

Well at least YOU can't now.

I think that any and all serious black people should see John Singleton's movie "Baby Boy"....but only from the absolute beginning. "Baby Boy" opens on Wednesday, June 27.

Click here for more information about this, the third film in John Singleton's Trilogy

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