Hangin' with the Homeboys

Four friends from the Bronx live their aimless lives. After getting thrown out of a party, they head into Manhattan. Tom McNeal (Mario Joyner) is a failed actor working as a telemarketer. His best friend Willie Stevens (Doug E. Doug) is jobless. Johnny (John Leguizamo) and Vinny (Nestor Serrano) are Puerto Ricans but Vinny, real name Fernando, pretends to be Italian. Race, sex, money, and life in general are the constants in their adventures in the New York night.

The racial tension and conflicted friendships are really interesting. The indie directing from Joseph Vasquez needs a little more work. With some improvements, he could be an interesting new voice but he passes away soon after this movie. The story does have a voice but its comedic tone is too broad sometimes. It takes away from the serious real slice of life aspect. He needs to play up the tension in some of the more devastating scenes. It also needs more music which would support this drama from the streets. This is an intriguing indie from a new voice that was silenced before his time.