"DAAAAAAAAAAAAMMNNNNN!!!"
“It’s Friday, you ain’t got no job, and you ain’t got s*** to do!” - SmokeyThe Lowdown: Friday is a hilarious slice-of-life comedy about one fateful Friday in an average ghetto neighborhood. It follows two friends who hang out on their porch and interact with all of the colorful oddball characters of their neighborhood. Friday was the debut of F. Gary Gray, who would later go on to make action pictures and thrillers such as The Italian Job and Law Abiding Citizen. Despite being made in 1995, Fridaystill seems fresh today and always gets laughs out of me.
1. The Plot: Craig (Ice Cube) is down on his luck. He has been fired from his job on his day off, has a jealous, temperamental girlfriend, and to top it off, there’s no milk for his cereal in the morning. Since he has nothing else better to do on this Friday, he hangs out with his buddy, Smokey (Chris Tucker). Smokey, as his name suggests, likes nothing more than to smoke weed all the time, and is in trouble with his boss, Big Worm (Frankie Faison), for smoking up all of the product instead of selling it. In addition to this, Craig and Smokey get into trouble with Deebo (Tommy Lister), the local bully. There is even a bit of romance with Craig and Debbie (Nia Long), the girl he really has his eyes on. In the end, everything comes together and we get a little taste of life in a day in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...
2. The Characters: Ice Cube and Chris Tucker are perfectly cast as Craig and Smokey, the two best friends with nothing better to do. There is great chemistry between the two actors, and it’s nice to see actors slumming about naturally on screen. Especially since this was Chris Tucker’s debut and Ice Cube was mostly known for being a gangsta rapper at the time (he’s on the soundtrack, go figure). Craig is disgruntled about his life, as nothing seems to be going right for him this particular Friday. Smokey is the comic relief guy who shows up to brighten up Craig’s, and the audience’s day. All of the other characters in the film provide wacky, humorous antics, but mostly, this is Ice Cube and Chris Tucker’s film, and they steal the show in virtually every scene. Not to say that the rest of the cast isn’t good, but their roles, though effective and hilarious, are mostly brief.
Hmm...maybe "Big Perm" would be a better name.
3. It Was A Good Day: On top of being a great comedy, Friday’s greatest strength is that it doesn’t feel dated. Even though the film was made back in 1995 and is a casual depiction of the culture in 1990s Southern California, everything still comes off as fresh. It is timeless; it could be any Friday. The music and the clothing have changed, but the other elements could fit into the present.The Bottom Line: Fridayis a classic. It’s one of those rare films that I could watch every Friday and I would still laugh at it. It features likable characters, a simple story told succinctly, and a quirky sense of humor that doesn’t become annoying. The soundtrack is also pretty good too. The bottom line is, Friday is a great comedy that just about anyone can have a good time with, and you know this maaaaaannn.
*NOTE: There are two sequels to Friday: Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002). Unless you are a die hard Ice Cube fan, please do not seek these out for they are annoying and disappointing.
Fridayis property of New Line Cinema and Priority Films. This review was written by me.
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