It is Friday and you have nothing to do, what should the plan be? The obvious answer is to hang out with friends and share a few laughs. There does not have to be a legitimate plan in place, or an expected outcome for the night. The only thing you want to do is get together with the people who make you feel comfortable and relax after a hard week of work. Smokey (Chris Tucker) and Craig Jones (Ice Cube) have this in mind when Friday comes along, and they are determined to have nothing ruin their relaxing day. After Craig loses his job (on his day off) and his best friend, Smokey, has gotten himself in some trouble with his “boss,” the two determine that the best way to unwind after the stressful week is to sit down and enjoy some of Smokey’s own product. When characters from around the neighborhood impede on their chill afternoon, things get a bit rocky, and they are forced to make slight changes to their plans. The later it gets, the more serious those disruptions become and the more active Craig and Smokey must become. Will their expected day of fun and relaxation be just that, or will the neighborhood tear them apart at the seams?
Both Ice Cube and Tucker, at this point, are new to the game and have a short resume that includes a number of music videos, a few short films, and even some uncredited roles. In their break out roles as Craig and Smokey respectively, they play two young men in a neighborhood known for its extravagant characters and larger-than-life personalities. The two bring their characters to life and create a dynamic that mirrors some of the best I have seen on screen. Tucker presents the world with an over-the-top, larger-than-life personality that refuses to quit throughout the film. He is often extra and much more energetic than most situations in the film call for. His constant, in-your-face personality is often too much for viewers to handle, but the contrast of Craig’s laid back, laissez-faire personality is perfect in balancing out the film. Their dynamic is that of close friends who spend most of their time together, and the two do a wonderful job of portraying this. They appear comfortable with one another, and, even though their characters may not want to admit this, they clearly care about one another. Their acting is spot on and their supporting cast, including Nia Long (Debbie), Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr. (Deebo) and John Witherspoon (Mr. Jones), do just that, support. They support the main characters and they support the nonsense that is Friday. Without the beautifully constructed ensemble of cast and characters, thanks to Jaki Brown and Kimberly Hardin, Friday would not have found the success that it did.
A film with little to no plot can cause issues among viewers, leaving them lost and confused about why it is necessary to watch a film like that. Yet Friday, a film with no definitive plot, produces laughs comparable to some of the greats, and continues to impress audiences. What is it that makes F. Gary Gray’s Friday a timeless wonder? Relevance and non-stop comedy are the reasons that Gray finds success here. Using the talented actors, he is able to construct comedy that reaches many different audiences. As previously mentioned, Tucker and Ice Cube live in different worlds in terms of their approach to comedy, and their ability to stick to their ways and deliver makes the world go around in this somewhat sophisticated comedy. The relevance takes the film to new depths, as it depicts two young men, in the heart of the ghetto, finding ways to survive day-to-day life. While this appeals to a specific group of people, Friday, in many ways, feels like a satire. It satirizes certain stereotypes and builds on things that many already understand to be a reality (whether those realities are true or not). Gray, with the help of his wonderfully talented cast, is able to find his niche groups of viewers and appeal to them on deep levels, while still being able to appeal to the masses with his unique approach to comedy.
The relevance of the film appeals to a large group of viewers. What is exciting and compelling about the 1995 hit, is the fact that parts of Friday became relevant after the film’s release. Sayings like “Bye Felicia” and “You got knocked the f**k out” still have relevance twenty-five years later. These phrases transcend generations, and one would be hard pressed to find many people under the age of thirty who have not heard one or both of these sayings. F. Gary Gray, with writers Ice Cube and DJ Pooh, manage to create a cultural phenomenon that has lasted nearly thirty years and shows no signs of slowing down.
Gray, Ice Cube, Pooh and Tucker collaborate to create a sensational film filled with humor, satire, relevance and fun. Fair warning, drugs and profanity play a huge role in the film, and, yet, it appears that viewers might find it difficult to find offensive due to how wonderfully funny Tucker and Ice Cube are throughout Friday. Kick back and enjoy the subtle humor of Ice Cube or get together with friends and laugh at Chris Tucker’s hilariously over-the-top performance.
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