YMMV / Boyz n the Hood

• Anvilicious: "One out of every twenty-one Black American males will be murdered in their lifetime", followed by "Most will die at the hands of another Black male." All this is played over the sounds of arguing, gunshots, children screaming, and one child crying, "They shot my brother!" Cue the opening shot of a STOP sign. All of this as a note on how the Wretched Hive neighborhoods of Los Angeles have adverse effects on the impoverished African-American habitants.
• Award Snub: John Singleton garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, but the film wasn't up for Best Picture. Laurence Fishburne also wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Lloyd Avery II and Dedrick D. Gobert, who played the Triggerman and Dooky, a Crips member, were both brutally murdered in 2005 and 1994, respectively. Worse, both of the circumstances of their deaths mirror that of their characters; while the former was imprisoned for a double homicide when he was killed, the latter was killed by a gang member.
  • This wouldn't be the last time Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne would have a rocky marriage.
  • In-universe: Brenda is saddened by Ricky's death; she misblames and practically disowns Doughboy thinking it was his fault. By the end of the film, Brenda would lose both of her sons.
• It Was His Sled: Ricky is killed in a drive-by.
• Jerkass Woobie: While Doughboy isn't exactly the nicest guy, he is neglected by his mother and has to deal with Ricky's demise. His mother even disowns him for it, even though it wasn't actually his fault. And two weeks later, Doughboy himself is murdered by gangbangers.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Shut up, bitch!"
  • The term "punching the air" comes from Tre's breakdown in the living room.
  • "RICKY!"
• Moral Event Horizon: Ferris crosses it when he has Ricky murdered simply for calling him out for being a dick.
• Retroactive Recognition: In the scene where Ricky confronts Ferris at the car dealership, a young Tyrese Gibson can be seen among the onlookers.
• Signature Scene: Ricky's death.
• Tough Act to Follow: The film wound up being this for John Singleton. While he wrote and directed several projects well into The New '10s, none of his works ever reached the same level of success. When he died in 2019, he was eulogized as the director of Boyz n the Hood.

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