The Wood
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: July 16, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
6
Negative:
4
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
An across-the-board delight featuring a spot-on ensemble cast that treats the most awkward and embarrassing moments in the rites of passage with affectionate hilarity. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Famuyiwa's dialogue is easygoing and witty, and the warmhearted comic performances mesh beautifully. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A genial story of friendship among three young African-American men that gets far on charm even when the cinema technique falters and stalls. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Feels a little uncertain, as if it's moving from present to past under the demands of a screenplay rather than because it really feels that way. But the growing-up stuff is kind of wonderful. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Exists as a seldom represented American time capsule, and it's all good. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
There's charm and insight in the candid depictions of the teenagers' sexual experiences and discussions. Read full review
70
Village VoiceGary Dauphin
A diverting but uneven nostalgia trip. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
A comic, loving, affectionate glimpse of the '80s, its music and fashions, and most of all at that hard-to-find thing called true friendship. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
It's an engaging recollection that's more sweet than bittersweet, tempered by an eagerness to please that pulls us into its remembrances of things past. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Tilting between a teen sex comedy and a more sensitive tale about male bonding, The Wood is too anxious to please to quite make up its mind what it is. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A pleasant but relatively inconsequential movie. Read full review
60
VarietyRobert Koehler
This rambling and episodic autobiographical saga of three friends coming of age in Inglewood, Calif. (aka The Wood) in the '80s is so determined to be likable that it forgets to be interesting. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
What feels genuine in the film -- mother-son bonds, the wedding party -- is surrounded by overdetermined and formulaic scenes lifted from other films. Read full review
60
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Despite the unforced humor and honesty in the performances of its young and talented cast, The Wood spends too much time wallowing in arrested adolescence to make you feel you've traveled anywhere. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
The picture, directed by Rick Famuyiwa, becomes a juggling act, contrasting the efforts of the three grown-up buddies to get to a wedding on time, with flashbacks of their youth. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It's an amiable, middle-class coming of age story, soft and sweet and ultimately a bit inconsequential. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverGlenn Gaslin
Unspools slowly and erratically without ever hitting an emotional or comedic stride. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneBarbara Shulgasser
Nostalgia has no real point to make here. All that Famuyiwa can hope to accomplish is to tell his story well. In this area he is less than competent. Read full review
30
Film ThreatTom Meek
Unfortunately for Epps, Diggs and Jones -- three capable actors -- the disjointed direction of the material robs them of any dimension and forces them to play tail-chassing caricatures. Read full review
20
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
The people who made this movie have either seen too much mayhem -- or they haven't seen any. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A mess, a poorly paced, poorly structured, lukewarm comedy-drama that fails even to capitalize on the cheap nostalgia inherent in its plot. Read full review
More From This Movie

52 Critic Reviews

8.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL