Anthony's Film Review - Friday (1995)

Even without a plot of any sort, this movie is pretty funny to watch...

The 1995 movie Friday somewhat reminds me of the 1994 movie Clerks. Both have essentially no plot, focusing instead on moments in life that are ordinary and routine, yet amusing and funny. Of course, their settings are entirely different. Whereas Clerks centers on two convenience store clerks in New Jersey, Friday is about two African-American guys in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. One of them is Ice Cube as Craig Jones, an average level-headed guy who unfortunately got fired on his day off (wow, that must really suck). The other is Chris Tucker as Smokey, a really loose guy who pretty much doesn't take life seriously. There is enough of a contrast between these two characters that you have two interesting guys to watch, not two clones of the same character.

Since there is virtually no plot in Friday, this review does not have a plot summary, as many of my film reviews tend to have. Instead, I am going to talk about some of my favorite scenes in the movie. Yes, this movie is funny and entertaining, if you like funny dialogue, moments of goofiness, and weird but amusing things. Let me start with this example from early in the film. There's a funny scene where Craig's dad talks to his son about getting fired on his day off. What's funny is that the conversation takes place in the bathroom, and I don't mean with the father and son standing. Believe it or not, the father is sitting on the toilet in the bathroom taking care of his business, and he calls Craig to come into the bathroom to have the talk. This is accompanied by a funny line where the father says he has smelled his son's excrement as a baby, and it's only fair that the son do the same in return.

Here's another funny scene. Craig and Smokey are walking down the street when they pass by Mrs. Parker, a very sexy woman in tight clothes who is watering her lawn. The dialogue that ensues between the two guys is what you'd expect: open discussion of their sexual lust towards this woman. Then there's a later scene with Mrs. Parker where Craig witnesses a man running out of her house. Apparently, she was having an affair with a man who also, unsurprisingly, finds himself desiring her sexuality. (By the way, this is happening when Craig is supposed to be a lookout as Smokey and another guy break into a nearby house.)

Let's talk about another funny thing in this movie: drugs. In one part of the movie, Smokey shares a flashback story in which he tried smoking weed, but discovered that he was tricked into inhaling angel dust (the drug known as PCP), resulting in the need to strip himself down to his underwear because of excessive sweating. Later, Smokey gets Craig to try smoking weed, which Craig finds uncomfortable at first before he gets used to it. Unfortunately, Craig finds himself experiencing weird hallucinations, like seeing a drug dealer's talking head within a kitchen cupboard.

Hopefully, this should give you an idea of the funny things you can expect to see in Friday. While the movie takes place during the afternoon and evening hours of a Friday, a lot of interesting things can happen. And that's really all that matters. You don't need a plot or a long timeframe to present an entertaining comedy. You just need good humor and plenty of good actors to play funny characters. That is why Friday is a fun and amusing comedy, one that you can watch any day of the week.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Friday, visit the Internet Movie Database.