Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do the Right Thing, Poetic Justice, New Jack City, Dead Presidents, Friday, and most prominently Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society, all primarily released between 1988 and 1995, and also mixes the names of a few of those titles to form the long title of the film. Some actors in the film also starred in the films the movie parodies, a few even in the same scenes and characters.
Plot
Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) is sent to the inner city to live with his father. Tray gets an education about life on the streets from his psychotic, gun-toting cousin Loc Dog (Marlon Wayans) and his friends Preach (Chris Spencer) and Crazy Legs (Suli McCullough). Tray falls in love with the beautiful Dashiki (Tracey Cherelle Jones), but must contend with her seven children (all with different fathers, none of whom they can identify) and her ex-boyfriend, a recently paroled convict, Toothpick (Darrell Heath). In addition, Tray learns lessons about racism from a self-hating black policeman, Korean grocery store owners, and a mysterious white killer who is an agent of "The Man". Also he has sex with Dashiki. Keilaund Goodwin was also in the movie.
Cast
- Shawn Wayans as Ashtray, the everyman, trying to make his way through a confusing world, is sent by his mother to live in the ghetto where his father might teach him how to become a man. Based on Tre Styles from Boyz N the Hood and Caine Lawson from Menace II Society.
- Vivica A. Fox as Ashtray's mother, whose one-scene and one-line cameo in the beginning ends with her son asking: "So will I see you again?" and her replying: "Sorry baby. You know there ain't no positive black females in these movies." Based on Reva Devereaux-Styles from Boyz N the Hood.
- Lahmard Tate as Ashtray's father, Ashtray's temperamental role model who dispenses sage advice to his son. According to Ashtray, is only "a couple years older than I am." Though many references were made to Ashtray possibly being older than he was, such as Ashtray attending a party that he wasn't allowed to go to, because he had to be "18 and older." Based on Furious Styles from Boyz N the Hood.
- Marlon Wayans as Loc Dog: Ashtray's cousin and gangsta/drug dealer/criminal. He drives a USPS delivery truck which is loaded in the back with ballistics. Based on "O-Dog" from Menace II Society, "Doughboy" from Boyz n the Hood
- Helen Martin as Grandma, Ashtray and Loc Dog's grandma; a marijuana-smoking, foul-mouthed, church-going old woman.
- Chris Spencer as Preach, Ashtray's friend and former gang member turned 'politically conscious' activist, who appears to have become either a born-again Christian or a devout Muslim, but is now just "confused"; he has a fetish for white girls. Based on Sharif from Menace II Society.
- Suli McCullough as Crazy Legs: Ashtray's friend; was paralyzed in a drive-by. Has a dream to be a pro dancer. Based on Chris from Boyz N The Hood.
- Tracey Cherelle Jones as Dashiki, the object of Ashtray's affections. A "hood mother" with seven kids by seven different men. Dashiki's address is 6969 Penetration Avenue. Based on Ronnie from Menace II Society and Justice from Poetic Justice.
- Isaiah Barnes as Doo Rag: Dashiki's oldest son and the only one of her kids who has more than one line of dialogue. He pulls a gun on Ashtray after losing a . When he admits he learned about guns from "cartoons and 'hood movies'", Ashtray passionately declares that he and Doo Rag are an endangered species—not because their lives are in danger, but because "rappers are taking all the good acting jobs!". The kid rolls his eyes as Ashtray lectures him about the values of education. Based on Anthony from "Menace II Society"
- Darrell Heath as Toothpick, Dashiki's ex-boyfriend, who was just released from prison and still acts like he's incarcerated. He swears he will kill Ashtray for romancing Dashiki.
- Bernie Mac as Officer Self Hatred, a cop who harasses Ashtray and Loc Dog. As he has Ashtray pinned against his squad car, he goes on and on about how much he hates black people and anything black. Based on the bully cop from Boyz N the Hood.
- Terri J. Vaughn as Keisha: A possessed woman that Loc Dog meets at a late-night party and takes to the cargo hold of his truck. While proceeding to have sex with her, she morphs into a demonic version of herself and proceeds to force Loc Dog to have sex with her. It is unknown what happened after this.
- Benjamin N. Everitt as The Man, a pale white man with red hair and glasses, who systematically robs a convenience store while the Korean owners are keeping a close, racist eye on Ashtray and Loc Dog and completely ignore his crimes. When Loc Dog is firing his gun at the owners and not hitting them, The Man fires his gun once and hits a hanging light that falls on the owners and kills them. He then tosses his gun to an unwitting Ashtray and Loc Dog, who mistakenly catch it as he peels off a single glove (a reference to the O.J. Simpson case) and scratches their names off his list of black men whom he's framed for crimes.
- Keenen Ivory Wayans as The Mailman; he pops up various times throughout the film shouting "Message!" whenever a moral lesson is spelled out, just in case the platitude was overlooked by the audience. At the end of the film, when Loc Dog gives a rambling speech ending with the film's title, he says "What the fuck is he talking about?"
Reception
Box office
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood collected $8,112,884 from 1,010 theatres its opening weekend, opening at #2 at the box office, averaging $8,032 per theatre.[2] By the end of its theatrical run, the film domestically grossed $20,109,115[1]
Critical response
The movie was met with a mixed response from critics.[3][4][5][6] Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 29% based on 24 reviews.[7]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on January 30, 1996 by Island Records. It peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
References
External links