Baby Boy

REVIEW
Most urban dramas tend to deal with the consequences of adolescents being forced to grow up too soon, so it's an intriguing twist to find the main character of director Singleton's foray back into the 'hood to be an underachieving twenty-something with two children who still lives at home with his mama. Gibson brings considerable charisma to the titular role of Jody, an unemployed poser trying to cut a living for himself and provide for his two kids. When mama's new ex-con boyfriend (Rhames) threatens Jody's cozy place in the nest, he's forced to become a man and finally cut the apron strings. Oedipal subtext notwithstanding, the plot trajectory leads to an overwrought boys-with-guns showdown that feels like a weak extrapolation of the filmmaker's earlier work.