While developing the film, Ice Cube and DJ Pooh expressed discontent regarding the portrayal of the hood in film, which they came to see as violent and menacing. As a result, they wished to counteract this, drawing on personal experiences when crafting the characters and plot points. Preparations for the film began after the pair were able to secure funding from New Line Cinema, who granted finance in exchange for a seasoned comedian in one of the lead roles; Ice Cube and DJ Pooh quickly settled on Tucker during casting, which helped skyrocket Tucker to stardom. The film was Gray's film directorial debut, who was previously known as a music video director.
Friday was theatrically released in the United States on April 26, 1995. It received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the comedic sequences, writing, and acting performances. The film was also a commercial success, grossing $27 million worldwide. It then obtained a large cult following, inspiring internet memes and pop-culture references. It launched a media franchise with the sequels Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002).
Plot
Craig Jones, a recently fired and unemployed slacker, living in South Central Los Angeles, spends Friday with his best friend Smokey, a small-time drug peddler. The pair smoke a brokered consignment of marijuana, which Smokey was tasked to sell for Smokey's drug supplier Big Worm.
Big Worm attempts to collect his money from Smokey, who accidentally involves Craig, subjecting both to Big Worm's ultimatum: if they don't repay him $200 by 10:00 PM that evening, Craig and Smokey will be killed.
Craig attempts to borrow money from a number of people, including his mother Betty, his sister Dana, and jealous girlfriend Joi, and Joi refuses under the assumption that Craig is being unfaithful with local drug addict and mooch Felisha and her sister Debbie. Craig retrieves a gun to walk Smokey home, but his father Willie tells him that he needs to use his fists instead of weapons to help himself.
Smokey sells some drugs to Hector, a former smoking buddy, while Deebo, the neighborhood bully, forces Smokey to break into their neighbor Stanley's house to burglarize and they manage to steal $200 that Deebo decides to keep for himself.
Smokey attempts to retrieve the money from Deebo, who is asleep with Felisha at her house, but fails due to interference from the petty thief Ezal. Seeing Deebo awake, Craig and Smokey notice a car driving slowly and, suspecting a drive-by shooting, they hide in Craig's room for the evening. After failing to contact Big Worm, and with 10:00 PM approaching, they return outside, but are forced to evade Big Worm's men as they're sitting in a black van with its headlights off, starting a shootout.
After the shootout, the neighbors come out of their houses upon hearing the gunshots. Debbie confronts Deebo for beating Felisha, assuming Felisha was behind Smokey's attempted theft. As Craig and Smokey arrive, Deebo angrily punches Debbie, knocking her to the ground, leading to a physical altercation between him and Craig, with Craig being victorious by defeating him on Debbie's behalf. Smokey steals the $200 from the incapacitated Deebo.
Other locals, such as Red and Ezal, retrieve their stolen items. Debbie tends to Craig's wounds, leading him to break up with Joi on the phone while his father informs him his former supervisor called wanting to see him tomorrow.
Smokey settles his debt with Big Worm, telling him he will no longer sell drugs and is set to enter rehabilitation. Smokey then smokes a joint and ends the movie by looking at the camera and saying "I was just bullshittin'! And you know this, man!"
LaWanda Page cameos as a Jehovah's Witness that Craig shuts the door on. Michael Clarke Duncan appears in an uncredited role as a craps player; his film debut. Rap musician WC appears as a drive-by shooter working for Big Worm.
Production
Before Friday's release, movies such as Boyz n the Hood (also starring Ice Cube) and Colors portrayed life in the hood as violent and menacing. Ice Cube and DJ Pooh felt that these films did not portray the full picture of living in the hood, missing a more lighthearted element, with Ice Cube later saying, "we had fun in the hood. We used to trip off the neighborhood."[6] Therefore, Cube and DJ Pooh decided to create a film that would portray that environment.[6]
The script was only the third Ice Cube had ever written; the previous two were undeveloped.[6] With the film, Ice Cube intended to make a "hood classic", one that could be "[watched] over and over and over again".[7] According to Ice Cube, a majority of the film is autobiographical, with much of it being based on events that occurred in his neighborhood growing up. Smokey was based on DJ Pooh's stint as a drug dealer,[6] while Craig being fired on his day off was based on Ice Cube's cousin, who was working as a delivery driver for United Parcel Service (UPS) at the time.[7]
Prior to writing, the duo realized their inexperience as filmmakers was unlikely to attract major film studios, and floated the idea of self-financing the film.[6] For a time, the idea of making the film in black and white to save money was considered,[6] before the pair decided on approaching New Line Cinema about producing the film, who had achieved success with the House Party series; a film-type the duo aimed to replicate.[6]
New Line Cinema agreed to finance the production, but requested that the role of Smokey, initially to be played by DJ Pooh, be played by someone with more experience.[6]Chris Rock and Tommy Davidson were also considered for the role of Smokey.[8][6] Ice Cube and Pooh immediately decided on Tucker, after discovering the comic through Def Comedy Jam.[6] However, Tucker's first audition was poorly received, but was granted more time to try again at a later date.[6] Tucker soon contacted Angela Means, aiming to work with her acting coach, but she invited him to a workshop session over dinner to help him secure the role. According to Means, "by the time that spaghetti was gone, Chris was Smokey."[6]
Ice Cube was granted license to select the film's director, and decided on F. Gary Gray, who was a music video director. Gray had previously worked with Ice Cube on a number of occasions, and was also aiming to establish a foothold in Hollywood through a short film. Ice Cube instead offered him the role for Friday, attracted to the fact that he and Gray had similar backgrounds, feeling the director would accurately capture the film's aesthetic.[6]
Gray said that Ice Cube starring in a comedy "scared the shit out of me," as he doubted whether audiences would buy into Cube portraying a role so different from his public persona. Gray explained, "Ice Cube was the toughest man in America, and when you take someone [who] delivers hard-hitting social issues in hardcore gangsta rap, and who has a hardcore view on politics, you would never think comedy."[6]
Release
Friday was released on April 26, 1995, in the United States, June 30, 1995, in the United Kingdom, and October 5, 1995, in Australia. The film saw a limited, theatrical re-release in honor of its 20th anniversary on April 20, 2015, for one night only.[9]
Home media
The film was released on VHS on October 10, 1995, on DVD on March 2, 1999, and on Blu-ray on September 8, 2009.
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021)
Friday grossed $6,589,341 on its opening weekend debuting at #2 in the box office in 865 theaters, averaging $7,617 per theater.[10] The film grossed $27,467,564 in North America,[4] against a budget of $3.5 million.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 76% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "What Friday might lack in taut construction or directorial flair, it more than makes up with its vibrant (albeit consistently crass) humor and the charming, energetic performances of its leads."[11]Metacritic gives the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
Director Quentin Tarantino counted Friday as one of his 20 favorite movies from 1992 to 2009.[14]
Sequels
The film's success spawned two sequels: Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002). A fourth installment, tentatively titled Last Friday, has been in the works for several years. The film also inspired an animated series, titled Friday: The Animated Series, which aired in summer 2007.
The sequel Next Friday was the most successful in the franchise grossing a total of $59.8 million worldwide.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. They were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip hop music.
O'Shea Jackson Sr., better known as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
John Daniel Singleton was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing Boyz n the Hood (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award.
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Ferrell, Laurence Fishburne, Regina King, and Angela Bassett. Boyz n the Hood follows Tre Styles, who is sent to live with his father Furious Styles (Fishburne) in South Central Los Angeles, surrounded by the neighborhood's booming gang culture. The film's title is a reference to the 1987 Eazy-E rap song of the same name, written by Ice Cube.
Tommy Debo "Tiny" Lister Jr. was an American character actor and occasional professional wrestler known for his roles as the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 film Friday and its 2000 sequel, and as President Lindberg in The Fifth Element. He had two short professional wrestling stints, with Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after appearing as Zeus in the 1989 film No Holds Barred and resuming the feud as Z-Gangsta in 1996 for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was born with a detached and deformed retina and was blind in his right eye, which drooped, a unique look that he turned to his advantage in film. He played in both comedies and dramas, usually cast as 'the heavy/big bully'.
Next Friday is a 2000 American stoner comedy film and the sequel to the 1995 film Friday. It is the first film to be produced by Ice Cube's film production company Cubevision, and to be written by Cube himself. It was directed by Steve Carr and stars Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Justin Pierce, John Witherspoon, Tamala Jones, and Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. It is the second installment in the Friday series as it tells the story of Craig Jones as he goes to live with his uncle and cousin in Rancho Cucamonga after the neighborhood bully Deebo escapes from prison where Craig contends with three criminal brothers known as the Joker Brothers. Next Friday was theatrically released on January 12, 2000, grossing $59 million worldwide. The film has received generally negative reviews from critics.
Felix Gary Gray is an American director and producer. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good Day" by Ice Cube, "Natural Born Killaz" by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" by Dr. Dre, "Waterfalls" by TLC, and "Ms. Jackson" by Outkast.
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 21, 1993 by Lench Mob and Priority as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator (1992). The song was written by Ice Cube and produced by DJ Pooh, peaking at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 27 on the UK Charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15, making it Ice Cube's highest-charting single on the chart to date. Its music video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The song's lyrics describe a generic pleasant day from his life; according to Ice Cube, he had no specific date in mind, though several attempts have been made to identify one.
"Boyz-n-the-Hood" is the debut single by Eazy-E, then leader of a new rap group, N.W.A. Released in March 1987, the single was a local hit, reissued, by year's end on the unauthorized compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.
Friday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to F. Gary Gray's 1995 stoner film Friday. It was released on April 11, 1995, through Priority Records and consists of hip hop and R&B music.
Craig A. Miller, better known by his stage name Kam, is an American rapper known primarily among hip hop fans and music critics during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Friday After Next is a 2002 American stoner comedy film directed by Marcus Raboy and starring Ice Cube, Mike Epps, John Witherspoon, Don "D.C." Curry, Anna Maria Horsford, and Clifton Powell. It is the third installment in the Friday trilogy as tells the story of Craig and his cousin Day-Day getting jobs as security guards at a shopping center when a robber dressed as Santa Claus breaks into their apartment and steals their presents and the rent money that is to be given to their landlady. The film was theatrically released on November 22, 2002, to generally negative reviews.
Lloyd Fernandez Avery II was an American actor. He appeared in John Singleton's Oscar-nominated film Boyz n the Hood (1991) as one of the Bloods who murdered high school football star Ricky Baker and was later killed by Doughboy in retaliation. In 2005, Avery was convicted of double homicide, and later killed in prison by his cellmate.
Mark Jordan, better known by his stage name DJ Pooh, is an American record producer, rapper, actor, voice actor, screenwriter and film director who has produced albums for many rappers such as King Tee, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and 2Pac.
This is a list of songs produced by DJ Pooh.
Friday is a stoner comedy film franchise created by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh. The series takes place in South Central Los Angeles and follows the exploits of perpetually unemployed Craig Jones, who, along with his friends and relatives, is thrust into various issues that happen to occur on a Friday.
Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American epic biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray, depicting the rise and fall of the hip hop group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. Members of N.W.A were involved in the production of the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers, as was Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright. MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. Ice Cube is played by his real-life son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., who made his film debut. Corey Hawkins portrays Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell is Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr. is DJ Yella, and Aldis Hodge is MC Ren. Paul Giamatti stars as N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller.
In American English, the phrase "Bye, Felicia" is an informal phrase intended as a dismissive send-off, where the recipient is rendered so unimportant their name is reduced to "Felicia."
Michael Elliot Epps is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and its sequel, Friday After Next, and also appeared in The Hangover and The Hangover Part III as "Black Doug". He was the voice of main character Boog in Open Season 2, replacing Martin Lawrence, with whom he starred in the comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, playing "Reggie", cousin of Roscoe. He played Lloyd Jefferson "L.J." Wayne in the films Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). He has had starring roles in the sitcoms Uncle Buck and The Upshaws.
Anthony Johnson, sometimes credited as A. J. Johnson, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as "Ezal” in the 1995 comedy film Friday.
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