Young. Wild. Free.

A teenager struggling to provide for his younger siblings in Compton finds his life turned upside down when he's held at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams.

• Algee Smith as Brandon Huffman
• Sanaa Lathan as Janice Huffman
• Sierra Capri as Cassidy
• Mike Epps as Lamont

According to Banks, the first day of filming occurred on March 11, 2020 and then filming was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite magazine|title="It Was a Blessing in Disguise To Have More Time"; Thembi Banks, Young. Wild. Free.|date=January 25, 2023|magazine=Filmmaker|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/118766-thembi-banks-young-wild-free-sundance-2023/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}} In August 2022, it was reported that production on the film was underway in Los Angeles.{{cite magazine|last=Corrine|first=Amber|title=Sanaa Lathan, Mike Epps, And More To Star In 'Young. Wild. Free.'|date=August 14, 2022|magazine=Vibe|url=https://www.vibe.com/news/movies-tv/sanaa-lathan-mike-epps-young-wild-free-1234685990/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Library Center Theater on January 22, 2023.{{cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|title=Thembi L. Banks & Cast On Finding The Fire In 'Young. Wild. Free.' – Sundance Studio|date=January 26, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/video/young-wild-free-sundance-film-festival-interview/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

This BET+ original produced by MACRO premieres on BET+ June 27.{{Cite web |title=Summer's Almost Here! 5 Movies to Keep on Your Radar |url=https://www.bet.com/article/fgbffd/summers-almost-here-5-movies-to-keep-on-your-radar |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=BET |language=en}}

The film has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on fifteen reviews.{{cite web|title=Young. Wild. Free.|website=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/young_wild_free|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

Tomris Laffly of Variety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "An Uncertain Script Saddles a Stylish Coming-of-Age Movie Full of Los Angeles Love."{{cite magazine|last=Laffly|first=Tomris|title='Young. Wild. Free.' Review: An Uncertain Script Saddles a Stylish Coming-of-Age Movie Full of Los Angeles Love|date=January 22, 2023|magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/young-wild-free-review-1235495255/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

Esther Zuckerman of IndieWire graded the film a C− and wrote, "Trust me, you’ve heard this one before."{{cite web|last=Zuckerman|first=Esther|title='Young. Wild. Free.' Review: A Stylish, Letterboxd-Friendly Drama That Goes Further Off the Rails with Each Twist|date=January 22, 2023|website=IndieWire|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/young-wild-free-review-algee-smith-1234801418/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

Patrice Witherspoon of Screen Rant awarded the film four stars out of five.{{cite web|last=Witherspoon|first=Patrice|title=Young. Wild. Free. Review: Banks' Bold Feature Debut Is Captivating [Sundance]|date=January 26, 2023|website=Screen Rant|url=https://screenrant.com/young-wild-free-2023-movie-reviews/|accessdate=August 15, 2023}}

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|9204126}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|young_wild_free}}

Category:2023 films

Category:American drama films

Category:Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic