FRIDAY (FILM)

'''Friday''' is a 1995 comedy-drama film set in Watts, Los Angeles, California, where star Ice Cube grew up. The film was directed by F. Gary Gray and revolves around 16 hours in the lives of two best friends: Smokey (Chris Tucker) and Craig (Ice Cube). The day after Craig loses his job, he and Smokey go through a series of misadventures on their quest to find enough money to pay off a notorious drug dealer, Big Worm (Faizon Love), who has threatened to kill them unless they pay by 10 p.m.
John Witherspoon, Bernie Mac, Anna Maria Horsford, Nia Long, Paula Jai Parker, Regina King, Tom Lister Jr. and Faizon Love (''Bebe's Kids'') also star.
It is also known for making the line "you got knocked the fuck out!", which is said twice during the movie, a pop culture reference.
Most of this movie was filmed in the southern-most part of South Central Los Angeles. The street that Smokey, Craig, and most of the other characters lived on is 126th Street in Los Angeles, between Normandie Ave. and Halldale Ave. Aside from some of the houses being painted different colors since the movie was filmed, the street presently looks identical to how it looked in the movie. The liquor store that they went to, where A.J. Johnson portrayed a crackhead, is located in Gardena, California, on 135th Street.
Two sequels ''Next Friday'' and ''Friday After Next'' have been met with mixed reviews.
An based on the film premiered on MTV2, on Sunday, June 24, 2007 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Contents

Cast

Desired reprise of Smokey (Chris Tucker)

Reception

Trivia

See also

References

External links

Cast

★ Ice Cube - Craig Jones

★ Chris Tucker - Smokey

★ Nia Long - Debbie

★ Tiny Lister - Deebo

★ John Witherspoon - Willie Jones

★ Anna Maria Horsford - Betty Jones

★ Regina King - Dana Jones

★ Paula Jai Parker - Joi

★ Faizon Love - Big Worm

★ DJ Pooh - Red

★ Angela Means - Felisha

★ Vickilyn Reynolds - Joann

★ Ronn Riser - Stanley

★ Kathleen Bradley - Mrs. Parker

★ Tony Cox - Mr. Parker

★ Anthony Johnson - Crack Head Ezal

★ Demetrius Navarro - Hector

★ Jason Bose Smith - Lil Chris

★ Bernie Mac - Pastor Clever

★ Yvette Wilson - Rita

★ WC - Shooter

★ Renaldo Rey - Red's Father

★ Michael Clarke Duncan - Uncredited Dice Player

★ Meagan Good - Kid #2

★ Christopher G Myree - #3 - 2nd car driver

Desired reprise of Smokey (Chris Tucker)

In early April 2007, Ice Cube was a guest on Angie Martinez' Hot97 radio show and stated that he was interested in bringing back Chris Tucker as 'Smokey' in a possible Friday sequel, but that was only possible if "New Line cuts the check."^[1]. This is unlikely as Tucker's ''Rush Hour'' sequel performances earned him over 20 million dollars per film, and the entire budget for the sequel ''Next Friday'' was only 11 million dollars ^[2]. To date, Tucker himself has publicly never indicated any interest in appearing in a Friday sequel over the last 12 years. In an interview with BlackFilm.com, Ice Cube stated that he would be interested in involving all major characters from the Friday franchise in a possible sequel, but added "I know I'm not going to get Chris Tucker back, but I'd love to get everybody else back."^[3]

Reception

The movie was well-received by critics, earning 79% favorable reviews according to RottenTomatoes.com .[1]

Trivia

★ The neighborhood where the film takes place is the same neighborhood in which ''Boyz n the Hood'' (also starring Ice Cube) was filmed.

★ The license plate on Smokey's car is "FCK IT".

★ F. Gary Gray was seen in the store where Ezal fell and quoted "My neck, my back, my neck and my back."

★ The neighborhood where the film takes place is the same street where the film's director, F. Gary Gray, grew up in South Los Angeles. Principal houses that were used for filming were houses of old friends of the director. The scene where Deebo punches Red into the air is the house that F. Gary Gray grew up in.

★ John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Horsford later worked together on the WB Network sitcom ''The Wayans Bros.''

★ John Witherspoon and Regina King are working together again in the animated series called ''The Boondocks''.

★ A young Meagan Good has a small part as a kid at Big Worm's ice-cream truck. She is credited as Kid #2, is wearing a blue baseball cap and says "I hate him" as Big Worm drives away.

★ A then-unknown Michael Clarke Duncan makes a small uncredited appearance as a Craps player to the left of Smokey in the scene where Deebo punches Red in the air.

★ Ice Cube's Westside Connection partner, W.C., does an appearance in the end of the movie as one of the shooters that try to kill Craig and Smokey. He is credited as William L. Calhoun Jr.

★ On one episode of ''The Boondocks'', Huey Freeman explains his plan for helping a friend escape prison. In the plan, he says that Granddad Robert (played by John Witherspoon, who also plays Willie, Craig's father in ''Friday'') will drive him to the prison and that Granddad will just sit in the car and watch ''Friday''. John Witherspoon quotes himself from ''Friday'' such as "Pig feet, how'd they get that?" and "It's yo' ass mistah post man!" In another episode of ''The Boondocks'', Granddad comes out of the bathroom he quotes "no one go in there for at least 30 to 45 minutes woo! Somebody open a window!" In another episode of ''The Boondocks'', Riley gets in an argument with his Grandad about "game" the same conversation that Craig and his mom get into when she tells Craig that he doesn't have any game.

★ The scenes in front of houses all have their windows open to stop reflections of the crew and cameras.

★ Ice Cube's character Craig is wearing the same clothes at the beginning of the movie, that his character Doughboy is wearing at the end of the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.

See also

★ Friday (soundtrack)

References

1. Ice Cube on Hot 97 Podcast
2. BoxOfficeMojo Budget for Next Friday
3. Are We There Yet?: An Interview with Ice Cube

External links

Friday Trivia