Plot
In this sequel to the urban comedy Friday, rap music star Ice Cube returns as Craig Jones, a streetwise man from South Central Los Angeles who has a knack for getting into trouble. This time out, Craig is still trying to outsmart neighborhood bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.); after Craig gets the better of Debo in a fist fight, Debo is determined to flatten Craig in a rematch. Looking to stay out of Debo's way, Craig decides that it would be a good time to visit his cousin (Mike Epps) and uncle (Don "DC" Curry), who have recently won the lottery and moved into a spacious new home in the suburbs. Like Friday, Next Friday was written by Ice Cube and his frequent musical collaborator DJ Pooh; music video director Steve Carr made his feature debut with this film. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
What really works in the Friday movies are the wild characters and the performances that go with them. That said, Next Friday had a major hurdle to get over when fame called Chris Tucker away from Ice Cube and the crew for this sequel to 1995's laugh-riot Friday. Thankfully, there was still comedy gold to be mined with the introduction of lottery-winning suburbanite Uncle Elroy (Don "DC" Curry) and cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps). While it isn't the scene-stealing performance he would give in Friday After Next, Epps still delivers here and becomes a fine sidekick replacement for Tucker. If that isn't enough, more help is provided once again by John Witherspoon as the hilarious burrito-loving animal catcher Mr. Jones. Unfortunately, Next Friday loses it's comedy steam in the second half, but with such great supporting players and dialogue, it's hard not to have a soft spot for most of this flick. While not perfect, it's still a funny addition to the Friday series and is a welcome one to revisit when you're looking for a few laughs. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, RoviCast
- Ice Cube - Craig Jones
- Mike Epps - Day-Day
- Justin Pierce - Roach
- John Witherspoon - Mr. Jones
- Don "DC" Curry - Uncle Elroy
Credit
Keith Neely - Art Director, Kimberly Hardin - Casting, Douglas Curtis - Co-producer, Matt Alvarez - Co-producer, Jacki Roach - Costume Designer, Frank Davis - First Assistant Director, Steve Carr - Director, Elena Maganini - Editor, Claire Rudnick Polstein - Executive Producer, Michael Gruber - Executive Producer, Terence Blanchard - Composer (Music Score), Spring Aspers - Musical Direction/Supervision, Dina Lipton - Production Designer, Christopher Baffa - Cinematographer, Ice Cube - Producer, Sue Lomino - Set Designer, Suzette Sheets - Set Designer, Christopher S. Nushawg - Set Designer, Walter Anderson - Sound/Sound Designer, Ice Cube - Screenwriter, DJ Pooh - Screenwriter| Next Floor (2008 Film), Next Epoch (1991 Film) | |
| Next Station (2007 Film), Next Stop Wonderland (1998 Film) |
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