User Reviews

I had heard from several people before watching this movie that it was not as good as Omar Epps' other work, movies like "Higher Learning" and "First Time Felon". I wouldn't say it was as good as those two movies, but it is definately worth while. A story we all can relate to, especially us men. The story is about the trials and tribulations that a young man go through in the hood, or should I say "the wood". The movie deals with how boys interact with girls at a young age, and it does so very realistically. The acting is impeccable, the characters are incredibly real and the way the story is told is very charming. The movie has humor and drama mixed together beautifully. I think this is a movie everyone should see.

This is the type of film that you can just sit back and enjoy. The male leads(Diggs, Epps and Jones) have chemistry as well as their young counterparts. The plot is simple and easy to follow. Roland(Diggs) is about to get married, but chickens out and goes over an old girlfriends house instead.Then Mike(Epps) and Slim(Jones) are sent over there to go get him before the wedding. While getting him sobered up, Mike reminisced on when they first met. This movie is better than movies of the same theme(The Best Man, The Brothers, etc.) because the male leads are more likable and less one dimensional, although Rolands reasons for not wanting to get married aren't explained enough. Also, the girl that plays young Alicia is way too old for the role.

Bottom line, the narrative by Epps is good and it's not riddled with stereotypes. Also, the 80's soundtrack is great and this is an entertaining movie. 7/10

I am searching for the soundtrack and a particular song which has a refrain Higher. I thought it was by Teddy Pendergast but am not sure. And I need to find the album which contains the song. The cast and script was great for it showed how men grow up together and support each other through some tough times. It also developed the character of the parents,the bride and groom,and the close friends around the Wood. Fortunately, the picture of the close families helps keep the movie on track.The mistakes of the bride and groom seem normal in this modern world.The forceful father made it far more realistic. The diting of the scenes helped it move faster as it began to drag during the scene outside the door when he is being held by the father with his head on the door. At the end when the groom throws out the arm band it was well done and effective.

Three hours before his wedding and Roland is nowhere to be found. His best friends, Mike and Slim, are both stressed trying to work out where they could be when they both get pages from his ex-girlfriend. They go to her house to find him drunk and experiencing doubts. As they drive around, sober him up and dry clean their suits for the wedding, they take time to uncover why he has doubts and also take a trip down memory lane and where they grew up in Inglewood.

Having seen several films on the trot where race is used to `comic' effect in a string of endless racist jokes it was refreshing to sit and watch a film where the cast were almost 100% black but the story was not told in relation to the colour of it's characters. Instead the story is a straight story of childhood memories and it could easily have been any culture telling it. Of course there is a thread of black culture running through the film but it is simply there as opposed to being the focus.

The story is slight and not totally together but it is interesting. The reasons for Roland's doubts are not made totally clear by the end of the film and there is a suggestion that it is really just a frame for the memories to occur within. This isn't too bad as the memories are really more of the story than the modern day trigger is. Both strands work quite well as long as you don't expect too much, it has a gentle humour that is pleasant and enjoyable and both strands seem to be able to carry it. The `to-camera' narration was a bit of a risk that I thought it didn't totally carry off but, happily, after the first 10 minutes it is pretty much absent for the rest of the film. Some of the strands don't totally come to a close and the fact that the main plot (Roland going missing on his wedding day) is mostly a side issue is a distraction but not to a detrimental point.

The cast are all pretty good. Epps is a good lead and is a likeable character. Diggs is good looking but he doesn't act as well as he can for much of the movie – his `drunk' acting is pretty poor although he gets better as he sobers up. Jones is a bit of a comedy figure but does his job well despite being the least developed of the three. The teenage actors all carry themselves well, although in this modern tabloid world of hysteria it is a little uncomfortable to watch two young teenagers have sex (although I was relieved to find that the sexy one of them, Malinda Williams, was actually 24 when she played a 14 year old). The women are all very good looking but have lesser roles as the males take the meat of the story – Tamala Jones is good and Epps' co-star from Love & Basketball (Sanaa Lathan) joins him for a brief role.

Overall it is a very light film that has a plot in a very basic sense but is really more of a nostalgic trip down the teenage years that is told with honesty and humour. It may not resemble any life I ever had but there were themes I could relate to. Slight but fun and, after seeing National Security, Undercover Brother and Bringing Down the House (where race is used for humour, rather than being a side issue) The Wood was also a breath of fresh air.

It is nice to see movies that deal with the African-American experience outside of gangsters and violence. However, this movie fails to take off and manifest itself as a really good coming of age story. The leads are well cast and do good in their parts, but the script and the way it is handled is pedestrian at best. 6/10.

The most refreshing aspect of this movie is the mere fact that the three main African American characters are not : drug dealers, wise cracking officers of the law, pimps, womanizing alcoholics, bums, etc.

However, they are also not annoyingly wholesome. These three guys are real people with real problems. I'm not saying that the previously mentioned stereotypes don't exist, but I'm sick of being beat over the head with stereotypes while at the same time being told how evil stereotyping is.

This is the coming of age story of three black kids growing up in a suburb of Southern California. I don't know if Rick Famuyiwa is black or not, but he can write excellent black dialogue. Contrary to popular belief, most black people do not say f*** seven times in every sentence and this film acknowledges and respects that fact. The film does drag at points, but there are definitely big laughs and the flashbacks taking place in the mid 1980's are beautifully done. One almost feels that the film should have been shot as one long flashback sequence.

All in all, I feel that this is a great movie for people of any color to see. The movie is rated R, but it's very light hearted and aside from some language that any child over the age of ten has been exposed to, and one very funny and non-graphic sex scene, there's nothing offensive. I am inclined to think that African Americans have come to expect nudity, explicit sex, and violence in movies aimed at them, and some might ironically be disappointed by the cheerful mood of the movie. I hope that I'm wrong.

This is an American Pie-ish movie that you won't be ashamed to show your kids (or your parents) and a Soul Food-ish movie that your kids will actually enjoy. An excellent first movie for Rick Famuyiwa and a nice change of pace in black cinema.

I never really had an interest seeing this movie because so many African American's movie's seem to lack originality. I just happen to see it on television and decided to watch it. I was quite impressed. It was good to see that this movie is something men and women of all races can relate too. I'm glad they didn't get too strong into the violence and drugs associated with Inglewood. I was a little worried about it's similarity to American Pie's theme, about young teen boys in competition to lose their virginity's, but it was only a part of the story's theme. The point was for us to get a good idea what it was like growing up in their world(as many can relate to). Also, the chemistry between the grown up cast was very believable. I wouldn't say this was a powerfully scripted movie, but it was entertaining. I will go out and buy this DVD.

The Wood is an excellent example of how black movies should be. I think The Wood is a refreshing taste to all the depressing so called "black" movies. It does not end with the main character(s) dying or in jail. Instead three young, talented black actors:(Epps, Diggs, Jones) paint a funny, but realistic picture of what its like for kids growing up and all of their experiences. Yes, the movie casting is all black, but this movie should not have an asterisk next to it because of its casting. (Anyone who thinks otherwise should consider other "great" movies in which no minorities are included.) Overall, The Wood is a good movie with a story line that can be related to people of many different backgrounds and not just blacks. That is why, in my opinion, I think The Wood is a great movie. Congratulations to Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, and Richard T. Jones on making Hollywood see that young black actors can carry a movie in convincing fashion from beginning to end.

"The Wood" tells two interleaved stories of three young black best friends in Inglewood, CA. The adult story takes place on the wedding day of one of the trio while the teen story takes place via flashback. One of a recent spate of films which get "real" and desensationalize the Afro-Am male by taking them out of the ghetto and sticking them in a middle-class environment, "The Wood" is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always entertaining though it is not without its awkward moments. An okay watch for those into best-friends or coming-of-age comedies about black males. (B-)

The Wood has not received very much attention and PR that many of the other movies have, but it should.

The movie is about three best friends who grew up in Inglewood California (hence the title - The Wood). The movie actually takes place on the wedding day of one of the friends and two hours before the ceremony, the groom is a no-show. The other two friends manage to track him down and proceed to bring him back.

As they bring the groom back to the wedding, the three begin to discuss old times and throughout the movie, flashback is used to show these experiences. Younger actors are used to depict the current friends and their past experiences are shown to the audience. The acting by all the characters is superb and the flashback technique is used beautifully.

The movie shows the relationships develop over the years through the eyes of one of the characters (Michael) and the humor is sprinkled throughout the movie in well placed and well timed deliveries. This is a very endearing movie that everyone should see but unfortunately, in a summer of either blockbuster or toilet humor movies, this one may get overlooked. For anyone who gets a chance, see this movie. Overall rating 9/10.

The Wood is a great story about loyal friends who have had each other's backs since day 1. Some of the themes and the way certain precarious situations are approached feel pretty dated, to put it nicely. However, the film has a fun and friendly feel to it overall and the chemistry between Diggs, Jones, and Epps is palpable. You can't help but smile when you see them cracking each other up on screen because you know they had so much fun filming together.

This movie is funny as hell and something that people living through the 80's can relate to growing up. The dumb stuff you do for the ladies, the competitions among your boys, the fashion, and the music. The soundtrack goes well with the movie. Nuff said.

"The Wood" is a friends coming of age piece. It revolved around three friends: Roland (Trent Cameron/Taye Diggs), Slim (Duane Finley/Richard T. Jones), and Mike (Sean Nelson/Omar Epps). The movie toggled back and forth between their childhood and the present day; the day of Roland's wedding.

It was a funny movie about all those things that young boys go through while growing up even though this was particular to growing up in Inglewood, CA ("The Wood"). What does that mean? Bloods and Crips, Jheri Curls, and encounters with the cops. Fortunately, it was nothing serious or depressing.

Though Roland was the groom, the story was told first person from Mike. He moved to California from North Carolina while in junior high school and it was Roland and Slim that took a liking to him. Unlike your typical school movies, this one spared us of "the bully," "the nerd," "the cheerleader," and the rest of the high school movie stereotypes. I think that made the movie that much more enjoyable. I was expecting it to be super deep with a lot of tearful scenes, but we were spared that as well. I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Within the first 3minutes the Lords name is taken in vain about 5 times..I turned it off. I wish people made the edited versions if movies available

The Wood starring Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, Sean Nelson, Melinda Williams, De' Aundre Bonds and Antwon Tanner was a perfect positive black film that deserves alot of credit. Unlike The Best Man, it doesn't have a boring pre-wedding story - actually it's a lot of fun as the three friends talk about their fun childhood in 'The Wood' a.k.a Inglewood, California. The flashback scenes are done so nicely and the characters are written in detailed fashion and come across very realistically.

When I first seen the trailer I was like it would probably be an O.K. movie but it was alot better than I could possibly expect and turns out to be a big winner, this is a sleeper for 1999

10/10

Movies are made to tell a story in an entertaining fashion. Any movie that effectively delivers the main point of the story, and does so with strong conviction and entertaining plot twists, gets a full rating in my book. The Wood tells a story of three childhood friends and how their encounters and experiences through life has fortified their friendship. Even as one faces marriage, and risk of the trio being broken apart by distance is eminent, they learn that their friendship has and always will be the strength which truly defines the term "friends".

The characters are funny, how they interact with each other is entertaining, and the transitions between modern day and back in the day left me reeling to my childhood years. Bottom line for this viewer... I sure wish I kept in better contact with the friends I had from junior high (that's 'middle school' for the new viewers!!).

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

Ro: Yeah, I still trying' to figure out how you swung that!

Mike: Aw, man... yeah, that's why I'm "Big Mike" and y'all ain't.

Slim: Ah, n--ga, don't act stupid!

The ENTIRE scene inside the AA-Mart... a drunk, grits grabbin' Taye, a wisecrackin', Tic-Tac dispensin' Richard, Omar defending his nerdistic childhood memories, and the emotionless clerks behind the counter...

(I remember stopping in at the AA for a cold beverage after basketball games. AA-Mart is still there today across from Smart & Final on Beach, only there's bulletproof lexan between the counter and the store now.)

After I bought the soundtrack in the summer of 1999, with some superb songs by R. Kelly, Ahmad and JOE I wondered what type of movie this was. Absolutely no average ghettomovie. after seeing the pictures in the booklet supplied with the soundtrack I figured it had to be a black contemporary feelgood movie. I decided to import the DVD last year via Canada, as it was only until a few months ago it was released here in the Netherlands, Europe on Region 2 DVD.

Two words: unexpected quality! Wow, this movie is indeed a trip to memory, as each 'classic moment' in that movie starts with an old school jam like "Eric B. Is President", "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume or "Back In Tha Days" by Ahmad, hearing him rapping about the old school days. Very great acting by Sean Nelson makes you realise his method acting is of a high level. Seeing him play in The Wood the younger version of Mike, you wonder if he truly lived in 1985/86?

This movie was worth my 20 dollars and I've seen it probably 20-30 times since I own it. It ranks in my list of quality Black Urban movies, among The Best Man, Love Jones and Love & Basketball. I'd love to see more from this director..

When I saw this I thought "I hope this movie can relate to me and not insult me at all!", and I was clearly wrong. This movie related to me a whole lot! Just because I'm white doesn't mean I can't relate to this. I did in more ways then one! I know how it feels to be left out like some of the characters and growing up is a fact of life and I liked the way they show their friendship growing by day. Taye Diggs was wonderful as the groom who was having doubts, I liked his character a lot. I also loved the flashbacks throughout most of the movie, it was interesting and I also loved the way you knew a flashback was about to occur was when the record player would start with a different record each time. I think everyone will relate to this movie~ white, black, asian, or pink! Everyone needs to see this!

I wish more people have seen this movie. Black, white, whatever your race is, you can relate to this film (if you're a man that is). The importance of breath mints, the fear of asking a girl for a dance (and fear of erection during), the excitement of being seniors, the concern of losing your virginity, the pressure of being cool even with your own friends, the magic of getting a girl's number, the panic during close calls with the police, the nerves on the first day at a new school, unexpected friendships, dancing like no one is watching, the wrath of a bully, the camaraderie that can only come after being friends for years...

This movie has it all. The three young actors are all stars. They make me feel like a kid again watching them. The comic timing of the young Slim is especially impressive. Treat yourself to nostalgia and laughter with this film. It will take you back.

Definitely against the normal stereotypical movie that plagues the African American community. Finally a mostly positive movie that involves black males and a depiction of another lifestyle that exists outside of what's normally presented in many movies. The reflections on the past and then returning to the "present" was a creative method of getting the entire story across. Omar Epps, Taye Diggs and Richard Jones take me back to my youth while telling the intended adolescent stories. And even when the story returned to the present, much of the experiences that are presented are sill highly realistic. I'll give it an A and I definitely encourage others to give this movie a look. Thumbs up.

I have three favorite movies: Senseless, The Wood, and How To Be A Player. I love The Wood because even though I didn't grow up in as rough a place as Inglewood, CA, I can still relate to the situations in this movie. I am only 16 but I have experienced almost everything that Mike, Roland, and Slim went through as teenagers. I am an aspiring actor and movies like this make me look forward to the experience of acting on the big screen even more. I idolize all three of the main characters(Epps, Diggs, and Jones). I really enjoyed the actors who played the younger versions. They were all great. This is an excellent film that can be loved by all. I give it a 10.

I really liked this movie, and I think many teens and adults, particularily African-Americans will like this movie. All those young adults who grew up will really like this movie, too.

I thought it was excellent, and many parts made me laugh so hard I cried. All the actors did a very good job, too.

i watched this only cos there was nothing else in the shop but it turned out to be one of the best uses of £3 ive ever done. the script is brilliant.both witty,moving and romantic.the performances from all the leads(in particular the outstanding epps)make this a feel-good film while still making it seem authentically set in inglewood i cannot recommend you see this film strongly enough