Main Cast: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Justin Pierce, John Witherspoon, Don "DC" Curry
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
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, All Movie Guide
Review
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, All Movie Guide
Jacob Vargas - Joker; Lobo Sebastian - Little Joker; Rolando Molina - Baby Joker; Lisa Rodriguez - Karla; Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. - Debo; Kym E. Whitley - Suga; Amy Hill - Miss Ho Kym; Tamala Jones - D'Wana; Lady of Rage - Baby D; Clifton Powell - Stanley; Sticky Fingaz - Tyrone
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
Ice Cube (Producer), N.W.A. (Performer), The Isley Brothers (Performer), Frost (Performer), Dr. Dre (Producer), Aaliyah (Performer), Afrika Bambaataa (Engineer), Jeff Bass (Producer), Jeff Bass (Engineer), Mannie Fresh (Producer), Reggie Griffin (Producer), Troy Hightower (Mixing), Richard Huredia (Engineer), Richard Huredia (Mixing), Ronald Isley (Performer), Acar S. Key (Engineer), Sal Rodriquez (Percussion), Angela Winbush (Producer), Wu-Tang Clan (Performer), Mack 10 (Performer), Andy Grassi (Engineer), Priest Brooks (Keyboards), Mista (Producer), Wyclef Jean (Producer), Gabe Chiesa (Mixing), Mark Bass (Producer), Mark Bass (Engineer), Mark Bass (Mixing), Krayzie Bone (Performer), Andrew M. Shack (Executive Producer), Soopafly (Performer), Lyric (Performer), Big Tymers (Performer), Kurupt (Performer), Soul Sonic Force (Engineer), Bizzy Bone (Performer), John Meredith (Assistant Engineer), Toni Estes (Performer), Eminem (Performer), Ms. Toi (Performer), Allah Mathematics (Producer), Allah Mathematics (Mixing), Lee Stone (Engineer), Greg Burns (Assistant Engineer), Sean Cruse (Bass), Sean Cruse (Guitar), Ja Rule (Performer), Pharoahe Monch (Performer), Lil Wayne (Performer), Lil' Zane (Performer), Don Cisco (Performer), Vita (Performer), Chris "C.P." Lee (Engineer), Mike Baiardi (A&R)
Craig Jones (Cube) leaves home to escape revenge from his enemy Debo (Lister Jr.) and moves in with his lottery winning and sex-crazed Uncle Elroy (Curry) and his cousin Day-Day Jones (Epps) in Rancho Cucamonga. With so much trouble in the suburbs, he wishes he was back in the tame streets of South Central L.A. Craig's cousin Day-Day has serious problems of his own, with his pregnant ex-girlfriend D-Wana (Tamala Jones) and her little, but physically bigger sister, Baby D (Lady of Rage). Also, Craig and Day-Day accidentally get some beef started with the Mexican Joker family which lives across the street, the family which Karla (Lisa Rodriguez), the girl Craig is trying to hook up with, just so happens to be in. As if things weren't crazy enough, Debo, along with his irritating cellmate (and also his younger brother) Tyrone (Sticky Fingaz), have broken out of prison with plans to exact revenge on Craig, and Uncle Elroy's house might be auctioned and sold unless they can find a way to pay off his debt in full by the next day. In the end Craig saves the house from being auctioned by using the Joker brothers' drug money and sends not only them but Deebo and his brother Tyrone back to prison.
The movie wasn't as successful as the original film in the series, from a critical standpoint. It met with generally mixed reviews, only earning a 21% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes[2], and on Metacritic the film has received an average score of 41, based on 25 reviews. The film was, however, successful at the box office. Next Friday grossed $14,465,156 on its opening weekend in 1,103 theaters, averaging $13,114 per theater. The film has grossed $57,328,603 in North America and $2,498,725 in the Foreign box office to earn a total $59,827,328 worldwide.
Next Friday was released on DVD June 6, 2000. The single disc DVD contains a theatrical trailer, music videos, a "making of..." featurette, behind the scenes footage, and an alternate ending as well as cast and crew information.
