Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Unemployment + Neighborhood Whackos = Reliable Humor
This film is DAMN funny for two primary reasons: 1) Chris Tucker, a truly natural screen comic, and 2) John Witherspoon, whose presence in ANY movie makes it better. The plot of "Friday": The events of an entire day (Friday, of course) as experienced by the newly-unemployed Craig (Ice-T), and his buddy Smokey (Tucker) in their urban neighborhood, pivoting around Smokey's involvement as a marijuana "dealer" for Big Worm, the local supplier. But forget story--it's characters that propel things here. And "Friday" revolves around one of the funniest collections of minor and incidental characters ever devised, all enacted with a comic charicature sincerity that most mass-released, "white" comedies (i.e., the endless profusion of "Saturday Night Live" skit-based features) lack. However, it's still Witherspoon--as Craig's dogcatching father--and Tucker's performances that are the core humor factors. The dialogue is definitely aimed at urban sensitivities, and as such, some of the best humor may be lost on older (and, in honesty, white) viewers--which is a shame, because in many cases it's the honest delivery of the dialogue that provides the most laughs. And while not exceptionally crass, there are moments of scatalogical/sexual humor that may offend the more sensitive viewers--not to mention those put off by (accurate) drug humor--but again, it's the honesty of those moments that furnish such an enjoyably (to those attuned) funny take on "everyday" life in the 'hood. The most serious aspect of the film involves Ice-T portraying the modern, young, black urban "everyman" (essentially, himself) who struggles against the neighborhood adversities (drug dealers, bullies, etc.), only to find climactic redemption in true, old-time fiction fashion--without the overarching gun violence portrayed in such heavies as "Boyz in the Hood." And though the film's binding humor tends to pall a bit towards that climactic resolution, overall it is a genuinely funny film. If you're expecting more than a bevy of situational "bits" thinly strung together by the premise, you'll be disappointed. But I've watched "Friday" countless times by now, and I'll still rely on it as a light-hearted laugh generator (and movie quote provider) in the future. Besides, the soundtrack is KICKIN'.
Rating:  - Endo? Tastes more like OUTDO!
I don't think there is a movie I have ever watched more than Friday. It is so cleverly and well written, anyone who watches it once just keeps coming back for more. The story, which was co-written by Ice Cube himself and DJ Pooh, is about Craig, (played by, of course, Ice Cube) a 22 year old still living with his parents who just got fired on his day off. The movie starts off on Friday morning and focuses on the entire day, in fact, the movie actually ends at the stroke of midnight of that very day. Chris Tucker plays his friend Smokey, who gets into some trouble with Big Worm, the hood's meanest and most sensitive drug dealer ("Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions"). They spend the bulk of the day on Craig's porch, blazing up and dealing with annoying neighbors, acquintances and junkies. Bernie Mac has a small role as a Priest and Tiny Lister plays Deebo, the bully. John Witherspoon is in a hilarious role as Craig's father, and, in my opinion, is the funniest person in this movie ("I smelled your ... for 22 years, you can smell mine for 5 minutes"). The movie takes a rather serious tone, however, towards the last half hour, involving drive by shootings, guns and assault. But, of course, everything wraps up nice and neatly within an hour and a half time frame. Friday is probably one of the funniest movies made, if you haven't seen it, I have no idea what is wrong with you.
Rating: - F®!D@Y
It seems like most movies take place over a period of no more than a few days, but a movie set to less than 24 hours might seem like a stretch. With "Friday" you get a movie dealing with subjects like drive-by shootings and domestic violence, and though all this is clumped in one day it still remained light enough to laugh with.Ice Cube stars as Craig a young man who was fired the day before from his job. With nothing to do he and friend Smokey (Chris Tucker) hang out, but Smokey owes local drug dealer Big Worm (Faizon Love) two hundred dollars. The two try to raise the money but find that more difficult than it should be. First, I should say that my plot description doesn't make "Friday" sound like much. The thing is that the movie is basically about the two main characters hanging out, and yet the story written by Ice Cube and hip-hop producer DJ Pooh (Who also stars as Red) is able to keep the film moving nicely. What's really impressive is that the two characters didn't go out to create the stories action, instead they sat back and waited for things to happen. Though some of these events were fairly serious often they were handled with enough enjoyable humor that it's hard not to laugh. As a rapper Ice Cube has shown that he has a lot of charisma, and that came through in his Craig character. Here was a character that started off weak in the way he was written, but once he hit his front porch became very likeable. It was Chris Tucker that stole the show though. You want to talk about charisma watch him do simple things like try to stop his car from rolling, or disagree with the local pastor, or even just squat to go to the bathroom. Where the script might have come off as very immature doing these things, because of Tucker's comic talent these were hilarious to watch. "Friday" was definitely not a perfect movie. A lot of the gags weren't funny, and the characters were annoying at times. Also, it did seem to drag at times proving a few minutes should have been cut. This movie should not have been as good as it is and yet, the script and characters made "Friday" a very good day.
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