THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
We always have that day of the week where a lot can happen in our lives. In 1995, we saw that a lot can go down on an average Friday.
PLOT
The film centers around Craig Jones who lives in South Central Los Angeles with his family: his father Willy, mother Betty (Anna Maria Horsford) and sister Dana (Regina King). He just got fired from his job after being accused of stealing of boxes, which he denies. Rather than looking for a job, he spends the whole day hanging out with his best friend Smokey, a drug dealer who is on house arrest. He owes $200 to his employer Big Worm but spends his time smoking the marijuana he’s supposed to sell. The two friends spend most of the day smoking the said drug, encountering multiple people around the neighborhood. They see the crackhead Ezal who makes a scene at the local liquor store. They also run into the neighborhood bully Deebo, who stole a bike and necklace from Craig’s former coworker Red (DJ Pooh). He and Smokey rob Craig’s neighbor Stanley (Ronn Riser), taking only $200. However, Deebo keeps the money for himself. During that situation, Craig notices the neighborhood cougar Ms. Parker (Kathleen Bradley) get kicked out by her dwarf husband Mr. Parker (Tony Cox), after caught having an affair with Pastor Clever (Bernie Mac). When Worm later returns as an ice cream truck driver, Smokey makes the mistake of incriminating his friend, saying that they were both smoking during the day. His employer makes his final decision that if the money isn’t given to him by 10pm, both of them will be killed. When Smokey explains this to Craig, it upsets him because not only does he feel that he is not in the wrong, but that Smokey doesn’t understand what is at stake. When Willy returns home from work as a dog catcher, he notices his son with a pistol. He tells them that fists is a better way to deal with conflict, whereas guns will get him killed. Before sundown, he tries to get money from his girlfriend Joi (Paula Jai Parker) but fails due to her jealousy towards other women who approach him. The two women that do so are the moocher Felicia (Angela Means) and her attractive sister Debbie. Debbie gives Smokey a phone number to her friend Rita (Yvette Wilson) to Hooke them up but when she shows up at night, he is disappointed as he finds her unattractive. As he confronts Debbie of being unsatisfied, he discovers that Deebo is spending the night with Felicia. He tries to steal the $200 from him as he’s sleeping, but it backfires when Ezal shows up, trying to steal from him as well. Deebo does wake up, but both men were able to leave unnoticed and empty handed. Smokey asks to help him try again, but Deebo had already left. However, they confront the boy Lil Chris (Jason Bose Smith) for knocking over their trash cans as they whip him with a belt. After that, they are shot at by unknown figures. They are able to run away unharmed, but it worries everyone on the block who heard it. Debbie confronts Deebo for assaulting Felicia, as he claims that she attempted to steal from him. When she says that she’s not afraid of him, he hits her too. When Craig sees this, he stands up to him and beats him with his fists, rather than shooting him with his gun. As he is knocked out, Smokey takes the money and Red gets his chain back. The film ends with Craig breaking up with Joi on the phone, while Smokey calls Worm that he has the money and plans to go to rehab.
THOUGHTS
This is a film I have seen probably dozens of times and after all of that, I am still laughing my ass off. We live with the knowledge of how the hood can be dangerous, but we don’t bother thinking that it can be more than that. Ice Cube wrote this script because he wanted to show a lighthearted experience he had growing up. And I think director F. Gary Gray did a great job recreating just that. Because of that payoff, it continues to be funny to this day. As an actor, I think Cube is pretty good with the role as Craig. What he presents here and the sequels is that he is someone who is humble but still has much to learn. We like him because he is the one who tries to be responsible compared to others he hangs around with. The biggest question I have is that if he didn’t steal the boxes, who did? He confirmed that it wasn’t Ezal in a deleted scene but it could’ve been an easy answer if he said it was him. While I remain curious on such a plot hole, I know it doesn’t matter in the long run because as the movies show, Craig is always on his feet by the end. While he is the star of this franchise, there is an ensemble right behind him that continue to be as much of a highlight as him. Going into the rest of the cast, Chris Tucker gives what is arguably his best comedic role to date as Smokey. He just brings the right amount of energy for this role and that is what makes him memorable. Even though he puts himself in trouble, you can’t help but like his confidence. It is a shame that the character never returned in the sequels, but that won’t change how memorable he is. Anthony Johnson’s over the top performance as Ezal gets me every time because based on personal experience, their are crackheads that make a fuss like him. John Witherspoon was funny as well playing Willy throughout the series but here, he brought the most heart. When he tells Craig “You win some, you lose some. But you live, you live to fight another day”, that is so goddamn motivating. It is honestly the perfect moment for him to show what a loving father he really is. Nia Long is also good as the gorgeous Debbie and I find it surprising how she never returned in later films. What I liked about her is that although she got on Deebo’s you can’t help but appreciate how fearless she was to him. Faizon Love was pretty funny for approaching Big Worm as emotionally sensitive with finances. The fact that that’s what triggers his villainy is hilarious. And last but not least, Tommy Lister Jr. gave a career defining performance as Deebo. He is intimidating onscreen you would avoid him in real life if you saw him, and that is due to his intense stare. He’s like the Tannins from Back to the Future where he does so much bad because he knows he can and likes it. So when he gets his ass kicked by Craig, it’s a satisfying moment. I can ignore the plot hole on who stole the boxes in the first place, because there are other things that bothered me throughout. First off, why was Willie undressed when he went to the bathroom? He was fully clothed in the kitchen, so I don’t understand what kind of damage he had to the uniform in order to disrobe. Am I the only one wondering why would Worm put his gun on top of his leg when driving? When he briefly stopped the car to talk to Smokey, it is a scare tactic, but that thing could've gone off if he is using hydraulics. And why didn’t Craig and Smokey go inside the house when Deebo passed by? If they know he’s such a menace, they should be avoiding him 24/7. Sure it is a clever set up for Smokey to get the money he needs, but avoiding the neighborhood bully should be an instinct. Also, Smokey mentions he is on house arrest, but what the hell for? This feels like a bigger plot hole than who stole the boxes. The plot definitely spices up when Big Worm threatens to kill him and Craig is he isn’t paid in full, but why the hell is he saying this out loud in front of children who he’s supposed to sell ice cream to? He’s so caught up with his emotions that he is willing to get himself in jail without even knowing it. And why doesn't Craig try again with Joi about asking for the money? He can literally explain about Felicia as he did with Debbie and things would've went much smoother. Lastly, I can't be the only one confused of how Smokey dialed nine digits when calling back Worm before getting shot at. You can't say it was *69 because that would've included a tenth digit. However, I can still have a good time with this when ignoring all said flaws. In short, Friday is one of the definitive stoner comedies that continues to remain relevance. If you need a laugh for the weekend, this is a perfect choice.
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