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Which was fortuitous, because not only did it save Doug from
a severe beating, but made us watch two entertaining movies
that we would not normally have sat down to indulge in.
Friday/Next Friday is an Ice Cube doubleheader about
a young black guy growing up in the 'hood, surrounded by some
of the strangest people you'll meet on a movie screen.
The first movie is Friday, where Ice Cube is joined
by Chris Tucker as his mate Smokey. Now Smokey has just ripped
off the local drug dealer Big Worm (a tranvestite hood) and
has dropped an innocent Craig (Ice Cube) into it right up
to his neck.
To make matters worse, the neighbourhood bully - Deebo -
has taken a dislike to the mates and is making life difficult.
One of the seriously funny characters in Friday is
Craig's dad, who does have a rotten bowel problem, while the
supposedly funny character (Tucker) is just irritating. It's
a shame because Tucker in The Fifth Element
is fabulous as Ruby Rod.
It takes a while to get into the streetwise-vocabulary and
feel of Friday but, rest assured, the pace picks up
and it is a very funny movie.
The way the pair manage to get themselves out of the poo
adds action to the comedy and leaves you with an I-could-go-for-more-of-this
sort of feeling.
Which is good, because the sequel, Next Friday, is
on the flipside of the DVD and has Craig fleeing to the suburbs
to escape the escape of Deebo from a prison.
Unfortunately, for Craig, his relatives are a sex-mad uncle,
his octopus-like second wife, a pathetic cousin and a neighbour's
house filled with just-out-of-the-slammer drug dealers.
Tucker doesn't make an appearance in the sequel (thank goodness)
but the vacuum is filled nicely by a bigger role for Craig's
flatulent father. The scene where he's driving down a freeway
eating very hot, spicy food and ends up desperately searching
for a loo, is hilarious.
Ice Cube is a very good performer and his portrayal of Craig
is understated, with the character coming across as a pleasant,
charming guy who only gets his own back when he is provoked.
Friday/Next Friday is a perfect rental DVD that will
set you up for an evening or two of laughing.
Conclusion: Movie 75%, Extras 50%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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