John Witherspoon

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.

Continue reading: Next Friday Review

After writing and starring in the funny homeboys-and-hemp comedies "Friday" and "Next Friday," rapper-actor Ice Cube isn't quite out of ripe screwball ideas, but "Friday After Next" spreads them pretty thin. In fact, the "Pink Panther"-styled cartoon opening credits are the biggest laugh in the movie.

Story proper begins with slapstick cousins Craig (Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) back in Compton after spending the last film in the suburbs. Desperate for rent money after a "ghetto Santa" breaks into their apartment at Christmas time, swiping presents and cash, the guys take seasonal security jobs at a dilapidated strip mall where their grumpy, squabbling dads (John Witherspoon and Don "D.C." Curry) have a barbecue joint.

Armed with nothing but a second-hand uniform and a whistle, thickwit Day-Day thinks he's suddenly a supercop, rousting church-lady carolers for loitering, but running away from gangbangers when he rubs them the wrong way. Meanwhile Craig has his eye on a drop-dead gorgeous salesgirl (K.D. Aubert) at the strip's new clothing outlet, Pimps & Hos. (Other stores include Holy Moly Donuts, check cashing, liquor and 94-cent stores, and Toyz in the Hood.)

Continue reading: Friday After Next Review