The Wood (1999) Rated R Starring: Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs Rating: out of

Their stories are told through a series of flashbacks featuring younger versions of Mike, Slim and Roland -- played by Sean Nelson, Duane Finley, and Trent Cameron respectively. The film follows the friends from Mike's arrival in Inglewood from North Carolina to their high school years, chasing girls for phone numbers and sex.

At first, The Wood might sound like a typical coming-of-age teen film but, thanks to a wonderful script by director Rick Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd, the movie is intelligent, funny and even somewhat wistful in its portrayal of three young black men and their formative years. The performances of Nelson, Finley and Cameron as the younger Mike, Slim and Ro are the best part of the movie, with Sean Nelson's Mike being particularly noteworthy.

My only complaint is the somewhat less-than-satisfactory conclusion, but that's a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent piece of work. Kudos to Rick Famuyiwa on his first directorial effort and an excellent story.

Trivia: Sean Nelson, who plays Young Mike, can also be seen in Fresh (1994), with Samuel L. Jackson. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)