July 6, 2008

Friday New Line Platinum Series

Friday is the rarest specimen of African American cinema: a 'hood movie refreshingly free of the semiseriousness and moralism of shoot 'em up soaps such as Boyz N the Hood, yet still true to the inner-city experience.

Scripted by rapper Ice Cube, Friday is a no-frills tale of a typical day in the life of a pair of African American youth in South Central. Cube plays Craig, a frustrated teen who endures the ultimate humiliation: getting fired on his day off. Then unknown Chris Tucker plays Smokey, a marijuana-worshipping homeboy whose love for the green stuff lands him in predicament after predicament.

Sitting on the stoop of Craig's rundown home, the two hilariously confront a kaleidoscopic array of gangbangers, weed dealers, crack heads, prostitutes, scheming girlfriends, and neighborhood bullies–all of whom, it should be noted, come off as sympathetic even as they are being caricatured, a true achievement in the crass, "booty call" environment of '90s African American comedy. –Ethan Brown

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very funny movie
This is a great movie…simple…funny…just a day in the life of some young guys who are bored. Most people can relate. Although I am against pot smoking, the movie is funny enough to be able to overlook all of the smoke being blown.

4 Stars "Can I borrow y'all VCR? I need to dub a tape…"
I've seen this movie many and I mean many times. It's very funny and it simply shouldn't be analyzed. A plot doesn't exist in this comedy, nor is this a character-driven vehicle, but it's a wild ride from start to finish without much of a high budget.

"Friday" is an urban comedy that depicts a single day in the life of Craig (Ice Cube), who has just been fired on his day off. Craig's off day consists of interactions with various characters in the neighborhood. They include his cantankerous dad (John Witherspoon); his lovable mother (Anna Maria Horsford); his sister Dana (Regina King); his spoilt girlfriend Joi (Paula Jai Parker); his love interest (Nia Long); Deebo (Tiny "Zeus" Lister Jr.) the hulking neighborhood bully; Big Worm (Faizon Love) the neighborhood gangster; and his token friend Smokey (Chris Tucker).

There's not a lot that can be said about the acting and most of the help comes from the supporting characters. Such as, Chris Tucker who steals the show with his landmark role as ultra-pothead Smokey. Tucker has that unrelenting comic energy that only a comedian of supreme talent can possess. Even when the film falls flat, he picks you back up. I also have to commend John Witherspoon, as Ice Cube's father. I loved him on "The Wayans Bros." and I loved him in this movie. Though I was laughing most of the time, the gags are indeed crude–very crude. And sometimes that crudeness just wears out. Luckily, it's not too often, and there are some memorable lines and memorable moments in "Friday."

I feel as though this is one of the better movies about the hood. It' really more than just a comedy instead it puts forth a deeper meaning in life. It is about facing one's fears and becoming a man. In one scene, the father sees Craig with a gun and tells him that holding a gun won't make him man; it's having the courage to fight with his fists that will. Now, I know this doesn't sound like the greatest thing for a parent to be telling his kid, but in the projects fighting with one's hands instead of picking up a gun is courageous. This movie is great to own as well as the Ice Cube-based sound track.

5 Stars The Best Comedy of the 90's
Friday is that movie that all lower budget comedies should be held to. It's a perfectly done movie with a lot of memorable lines and a number of memorable scenes. You can't find many if anybody that doesn't like it. It's definitely worth your time to check it out. Though not the most technically efficient movie, or one with an absolutely amazing story, it's one with a lot of charm and comedy that really makes you laugh without resorting to the tiring tricks that get pulled in most of today's movies.

The DVD features deleted scenes, which are good to know, a poduction interview with the heads behind the film, and a few music videos, nicluding Dr. Dre's 'Keep Their Heads Ringin'.

Highly recommended. It's worth it just to see it.

Also check out:

Next Friday (New Line Platinum Series) (Recommended)

Friday After Next (Infinifilm Edition) (No recommendation)

Or, buy all three Friday Collection (Friday / Next Friday / Friday After Next)

5 Stars Laugh out loud funny
One of my favorite films of all time. Ice Cube gives us a look at how folks on the West Coast live it up on Fridays. Chris Tucker had me laughing throughout the entire movie. Deebo scared the living daylights out of me, (I would not want to have a boyfriend like that) and I loved Nia Long. She was adorable as Debbie. This is a must have for your DVD collection. Don't sleep on it.

5 Stars awww my neck!
this movie, i think is the funniest of the 3 because it has chris tucker. i cant belive its still funny after all these years. the fact that its on dvd just made me so exited i bought it just to watch it over a hundred times. it has alot of the best actors today. chris tucker, mia long, ice cube, burnie mac amog many others. i recomend this movie to anyone.