Cast:
Ice Cube (Craig Jones), Chris Tucker (Smokey), Nia Long (Debbie), Bernie Mac (Pastor Clever), Tom Lister Jr (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), Anthony Johnson (Ezal), Tony Cox (Mr. Parker), Kathleen Bradley (Mrs. Parker), Yvette Wilson (Rita), and Angela Means (Felisha) Directed by F. Gary Gray (#517 - Be Cool)
Review:
"I didn’t grow up studying Orson Welles. All the greats, I learned about them after the fact, because I had already started making movies, and I was embarrassed to do interviews where they would bring up these great filmmakers and I wouldn’t know any of them."
It's interesting to consider the trajectory of a film director when it comes their debut features, black or white. Of course, this is a bit of window dressing to demonstrate the interesting lines one can take with showing the talents of a fresh director that made their debut in their mid-twenties about growing up in Los Angeles. Last year we covered John Singleton and his debut with Boyz n the Hood (1991), but now we turn our eyes to another side of a film set in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles and the debut of F. Gary Gray. He had been born in New York City, but he was raised in South Los Angeles. Strangely enough, when he planned to become a filmmaker at the age of 16, he thought it would take him until he was 45 to make his first feature. He started work as a camera operator right out of high school (he also had a bit role in Major League (1989)) before getting his chance to hone directing skills with music videos, most notably directing the 1993 video for "It Was a Good Day" (sung by Ice Cube). Friday would be the first of ten films that Gray has directed, ones with varying genres (on purpose) that have generally been audience favorites, such as Set It Off (1996) and Straight Outta Compton (2015). The film was written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh, both natives of Los Angeles. Pooh was a record producer and mixing engineer, producing albums with several legendary rappers (such as LL Cool J and 2Pac). Cube had starred in Boyz n the Hood (1991), and he wanted to make what he called a "hood classic", one that would take experiences he had growing up in his block that would serve as a counter-act to the perception of South Central as just a violent place to live in, depicted in films such as the aforementioned Boyz and Menace II Society (1993). Cube, who grew up with films such as the Cheech and Chong films, Car Wash (1976) and Hollywood Shuffle (1987), had his choices of inspiration when it came to wanting to make a comedy (incidentally, Singleton was the one who encouraged him to take up writing scripts), and Gray expressed interest before the script was even done; New Line Cinema was interested in making the film with Cube as a star, although they wanted someone with more experience for the second lead role (Pooh was initially slated to play the role) - Chris Rock and Tommy Davidson were initially considered the role before Tucker (who had exactly one film credit with House Party 3 and performances on Def Comedy Jam) was tapped to do the film.
The twenty-day shoot for $3.5 million turned out a hit on release. It would inspire two sequels: Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002) alongside an animated series that ran for a couple of months in 2007. Gray and Cube managed to make a buddy film of the hood with 91 minutes of casual warmth that has a resourceful cast (either experienced in film or not) and the right type of atmosphere fit for a coming-of-age movie. It lounges around without becoming a shell for cheap jokes (i.e. saying vulgar words is fun, but it isn't just one roll of them for a movie), which works well for a film with a majority of improvisation. Cube and Tucker make a capable pair together, since they match each other well when it comes to repertoire that is free-flowing, with Cube's casual engagement mixing in with the high-laced energy from Tucker (who elected not to star in the sequels for religious reasons). Lister (nicknamed "Tiny" but also known as "Zeus" when dabbling in wrestling) had been a shot-put champion in college before turning to acting, primarily as a "heavy", with this being his most noted role, and he makes the most of it with an imposing goon nature that can draw a chuckle or a curious eye. Long provides the soothing contrast to some of the proceedings. Even the folks with one or two scenes are still interesting. Bernie Mac plays a pastor with the right sense of flighty hypocrisy, while Cox chases him with zippy energy to go with a briefly electric Bradley to make one amusing triangle for a scene. Witherspoon pulls in the eccentric angle with the right touch of familiarity that makes his moments with Cube just right. The climax is a bit sudden, for which Gray reflected grounds the film but done with "inelegant" execution, but the movie manages to stay on the level when it comes to showing the different degrees of what one defines is a man when it comes to confronting a challenge with a choice that doesn't need a soapbox. Whether one is interested in the sequels or not is fine, because the film holds well on its own. As a whole, Friday is an engaging comedy with plenty of interesting moments spent in a neighborhood that Cube and Gray have re-created from their memories to result in a casual classic.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
Next Time: Baby Boy.
