The premise of the film seems to borrow a bit from Friday and a bit from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World, yet somehow manages to miss what made both of those movies work. The result is a comedy that may make some people laugh – keep in mind sniffing glue can make you laugh as well – but didn't even get me to crack a smile.

Andrae "Deuce" Noel stars a Deion, a college student who lives in the projects of New Orleans with his overbearing uncle (Reynaldo Rey). Urban legend has it that buried somewhere under the housing project is a treasure that was stashed by two criminals before they were killed. Everyone has heard about the treasure, but no one seems to believe it exists. No one that is until Deion becomes convinced the hidden fortune is real, and next thing you know everyone in the 'hood has got a shovel and is looking to get rich. Among those looking for the loot are two crooked cops, who 25 years earlier killed the crooks who buried the treasure. In one of many things wrong with Treasure n tha Hood, the actors who play the two cops don't appear to age at all, even though the film starts in 1979 and then moves into the present day.

In between the search for the treasure, which, by the way, is part of bigger mystery, Deion runs afoul of some local gangstas. He's also getting kicked out of his uncle's place, having trouble with his woman, and conflicted about staying in school.

The shortcomings of Treasure n tha Hood are many, with the script being the most flagrant offender, followed closely by absolutely no sense of comedic timing. Cyril "Poochie" Augustin's script comes across like it was written by someone who has only watched the Friday movies, and has no sense of story, plot points, or character development. Characters exist as nothing more than ciphers and stereotypes, and scenes seem to exist to merely pad out the running time. At the end of the day, the film is more forgettable than it is funny (and it ain't funny at all). Here's something to keep in mind: cuss words by themselves – of which tere are a ton in this movie – do not a comedy make.

On the flip side, and to prove that I can find positive aspects to almost all films, Treasure n tha Hood is shot well. Director of photography William Daniel appears to be one of the few people behind the camera that knows what he's doing. Likewise, actress Natascha Hopkins is one of the few cast members that to actually be able to give a good line reading. It's just too bad she has such poorly crafted words to work with.

Video:
Treasure n tha Hood is presented in letterbox format. The movie was shot in 16 millimeter, and at times the picture looks a little grainy. Still, the photography is best part of the movie.

Audio:
Treasure n tha Hood is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. At times the sound mix is pretty bad, like during the scene at a football game where you can hear the sound of the crown more clearly than the conversation between the main characters (which might not be that bad of a thing).

Extras:
Here's the deal, there is an audio commentary with director Greg Carter, but I did not listen to it. No matter how much I kept asking myself, "How the hell did this movie get made?" there's no way I could through this movie a second time – even if it did offer an explanation. There is a brief behind-the-scenes documentary that almost makes it look like Treasure n tha Hood could be good. Don't be fooled.

Final Thoughts:
If you want to see an "urban" comedy, watch Friday, Car Wash, or House Party. Don't waste your time with Treasure n tha Hood.