Next Friday Review
by Max Messier (cnull AT mindspring DOT com)January 13th, 2000
filmcritic.com presents a review from staff member Max Messier.
You can find the review with full credits at
http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/0d8f5b3da6b7da6688256864000c2948?OpenDocument
Next Friday
A film review by Max Messier
Copyright 1999 Christopher Null
www.filmcritic.com
I usually don’t like sequels. The mind-numbing rehash of characters;
the bad puns that related to subject matter from the original film; the
vain attempt at trying to create something “new and fresh” that turns
into an overstuffed turkey and usually follows the same blueprint. I
mean, who the hell gave the OK for such films as The Crow 2 and
Universal Solider: The Return. Only a few films, which I can probably
count on my right hand, have equaled or surpassed the original -- The
Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II. When I walked into Next Friday, I
must admit I carried this feeling in with me. When I walked out, I
wasn't surprised by my reaction to the film.
Let me make one thing clear before I proceed. I loved the original
Friday. The inner city setting gave such a rich backdrop to a wonderful
ensemble of interesting and colorful characters. The interactions of
these characters let the film breathe life back into the territory
previously covered by the Hughes Brothers and John Singleton, and then
ridiculed by the Wayans Clan. The film also introduced the directing
debut of F. Gary Gray and the acting debut of Chris Tucker. Ice Cube,
one of the original writers and producers of Friday, tries to recapture
the innocence and originality of the previous film but ends up failing
by not producing the same even-flow of character interaction and
storyline so prevalent in the original.
I like Ice Cube. He holds responsibilities as music and film producer,
a musician, and a screenwriter and director under his belt. He is
politically outspoken and waves a mighty fist at the establishment. I
enjoy his acting and his music and even found Player’s Club to be a
well-done piece of filmmaking. But Next Friday only highlights his
acting abilities and not his writing talent, which he is credited for
with the screenplay of the film.
The first forty or so minutes of the film try to capture the fun and
honesty of the original and succeed in producing some memorable
moments. But the second half of the film changes gears and becomes some
serious drama with guns waving and a dog high off pot brownies. The
second half pulls the film down under the gravity of certain situations
and the audience is left feeling somewhat confused by what attitude
should be towards the actions of Cube and Co. I mean, is Cube trying to
say that breaking into a drug dealer's house and committing a robbery is
a good thing?
The main problem with the film is the sidekick of Cube, played by Mark
Epps. His character Day-Day is introduced as a bumbling big-talker but
ends up being a whining sissy who finds enjoy being harassed by a
pregnant ex-girlfriend and her large sister, Baby D. The subplots of an
old nemesis from the original, played by Tom “Tiny” Lister (Zeus to all
of us old WWF fans), and a bumbling romance between Cube and a next-door
neighbor woman are pointless and trite.
If you are a fan of the original Friday, wait for the video of this
latest installment in this series. Let’s just hope there's not Another
Friday in the works as I write this.
RATING: **
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Steven Carr
Producer: Ice Cube, Michael Gruber
Writer: Ice Cube
Starring: Ice Cube, Tamala Jones, John Witherspoon. Mark Epps,
Tom “Tiny” Lister Jr.
2 stars
--
Christopher Null - cnull@mindspring.com - http://www.filmcritic.com
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
