John Singleton; at the age of 23; was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film; Boyz N the Hood. The film stars Laurence Fishburne; Angela Basset; Ice Cube; and Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in his first starring role in a feature film. Gooding plays Tre Styles; a teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles. His father; Furious (Fishburne); is divorced and living away from Tre and his mother (Basset); but he's still involved in Tre's upbringing; teaching him the values of right and wrong and responsibility. Meanwhile; Tre's childhood buddies Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are living their lives in terms of the epidemic of violence and poverty that has plagued their neighborhood. Ricky; a talented football player; strives to get a full athletic scholarship to college. If only his SAT scores were higher. Doughboy lives a life full of crime but still remains true to his friends. The obstacles that these three young men come across result in dire consequences; devastatingly avoidable and inevitable at the same time. Boyz N the Hood is a landmark film beyond its commercial success; presenting a portrait of South Central in the late '80s and early '90s as painted by Singleton (who grew up in that neighborhood); achieving accuracy and dramatic resonance in this story of at-risk youth. --Shannon Gee