Next Friday Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)January 20th, 2000
Next Friday (1999) Starring Ice Cube, Lisa Rodriguez, Don “D.C.” Curry and John Witherspoon. Directed by Steve Carr.
"Next Friday" is a raunchy, innocuous little comedy relying mostly on slapstick and scatology for its humor. The movie, a sequel to 1995’s "Friday," was written by Ice Cube, who also stars as he did in the original.
The premise is simple: Cube’s Craig, who only wants to survive in the ’hood, is sent packing to the suburbs to stay with his uncle after the neighborhood bully he beat up at the end of "Friday" escapes from prison and comes looking for him.
Craig discovers the ‘burbs can be just as wild as the city, as he begins feuding with a Latino neighbor, smokes pot like it’s becoming scarce and falls for a beautiful woman — a fetching Lisa Rodriguez, who happens to be the sister of the Latino neighbors.
The entire affair is rather silly and slight. There is no attempt at character development. Cube and director Steve Carr just want to pack one joke on top of another, hoping the entire structure can hold.
And "Next Friday" is funny. If you enjoy lowbrow humor, it will afford you several yuks. And many of the characters are quite vaudevillian: Craig’s uncle, played by Don “D.C.” Curry, who lives in the suburbs because he won the lottery; and Craig’s dog-catching, taco-loving dad, played by John Witherspoon. Ice Cube seems to be the ringmaster, playing it straight while everyone around him clowns outrageously.
"Next Friday," at about 90 minutes, definitely will appeal to a younger audience.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]
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