We kept laughing and sympathizing with three young men from Inglewood, California - thus the name Wood - as they transform from sexually charged teens into grown men seeking love and commitment.

As a hip morality play, the story cuts back and forth between their adult present and their teenage past. First, we are impressed with the lavishly setup wedding in a home where one of our three heroes is about to become a married man if only he would show up. After his two best friends find him drunk and full of doubts, they reminisce, in long flashbacks, about their years growing up. We are then charmed by the three boys who fumble sweetly with the young women in their lives and eventually grow into "players" (sexually aggressive and active men).

Are they only players or men looking for true love and deeper commitment? Without preaching, the answer grows out of their unfolding lives. We even witness a condom use lesson cleverly shaped into a funny scene where one young man’s first intercourse is delayed because he is forced to look for a rubber.

The dramatic and comedic development was flawed by jarring time jumping and some of the "hood" jive (we are Caucasian and not accustomed to linguistic nuances of the hood). With no real antagonist to block the protagonists in the pursuit of their goals and thus providing conflict and dramatic tension, Wood creates less interest than might have been achieved. However, the predicament of the characters had a universality and poignancy that made for easy empathy on our parts.

It was fun to see a movie depicting African-American young men who were clueless and fumbling in high school only to become lonely and foolish adult players until they chose love and commitment. This contrasts gang and violence focused content and role models we so often see in other treatments of modern black life and times.

The film might prove a useful tool for discussion about macho foolishness versus love at the core of sexual relationships. Since we are already committed to our love and relationship, we did not take away much that enlivened our conversation or deepened our understanding. However, we were entertained.