Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
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Two cousins navigate a surreal and comedic version of life in South Central Los Angeles.
The story
Ashtray, known as Tray, is sent to the inner city to live with his father. There, he receives an education about life on the streets from his psychotic, gun-toting cousin Loc Dog, his foul-mouthed grandmother, and various gang members. The film serves as a parody of 1990s hood films, featuring a surreal and comedic take on the culture of South Central Los Angeles. The narrative follows the interactions between the cousins and the local figures they encounter while navigating the complexities of the neighborhood.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ashtray (Tray) moves to the inner city to live with his father and meets his cousin Loc Dog. They encounter various characters, including a grandmother who wins a breakdancing contest and a woman named Dashiki. After a series of comedic and surreal encounters—including a confrontation with 'The Man' and a situation involving a nuclear missile—Tray ends up impregnated by Dashiki. Following a series of violent incidents and a transformation of Loc Dog's girlfriend into a monster, the plot concludes with the characters' lives diverging: Tray marries Dashiki, Loc Dog becomes a host of a comedy show, and the others find their own paths. The film concludes with a final scene of the grandmother smoking cannabis.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paris Barclay
- Writers
- Shawn Wayans · writer; Marlon Wayans · writer; Phil Beauman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Shawn Wayans; Marlon Wayans
- Genres
- comedy; crime comedy; parody; satire
- Themes
- satire of hood films; parody of 1990s culture
- Tone and mood
- comedy; surreal
- Premise and plot tags
- hood comedy; parody; satire
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and has gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 32% · review count: 28; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Production trivia
- It is the Wayans' second film to parody black film culture and African-American society.; The film features cameos by actors from the films it parodies.; A sequel was confirmed by Marlon Wayans in February 2026 if Scary Movie is successful.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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