3.4.2010

92. Hangin' with the Homeboys


Hangin' with the Homeboys tells the story of 4 friends from the South Bronx going to the city for a night out. Things don't go quite as planned and their friendships get taken to the limit.

The friends are Tommy, Willie, Johnny and Fernando. Tommy is an actor, Willie is a wannabe militant slash moocher. Johnny is the youngest of the group, working part-time at a grocery store. Fernando is Puerto Rican but wants to be Italian, even going so far as to have his friends call him Vinny. Tommy is supposed to be going on a date but his girl is sick so he gets the guys together instead.

This is not an action-packed flick. Not much happens at all, honestly. But for some reason, the movie works. The cast is good. Comedians Mario Joyner and Doug E Doug are joined by Nestor Serrano and John Leguizamo in an early role are all great. And this comes from someone who really doesn't care for Leguizamo. They're all believable in their roles which is needed in a movie that is very dialogue driven.

One sad note of trivia regarding this movie concerns director Joseph B Vasquez. He was the child of heroin addicts who managed to put himself through college and eventually getting a degree in filmmaking from City College of New York. He made one small film on his own before having the script for Homeboys picked up by New Line. During filming, he was attacked on the subway and had his face slashed. Having always dreamed of acting, this destroyed him. As filming went on, he began acting erratically and ended up alienating nearly everyone. In early 1995, he essentially had a breakdown and was found to be manic-depressive. During one of his hospital stays, it was discovered that he had AIDS. By the end of 1995, he'd passed away due to AIDS-related complications. It's sad because Hangin with the Homeboys seemed like the start of a promising career.

This movie is recommended.