Friday (1995 film)
| Friday | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | F. Gary Gray |
| Written by | Ice Cube DJ Pooh |
| Starring | Ice Cube Chris Tucker Nia Long Tom Lister, Jr. John Witherspoon |
| Music by | Ice Cube |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates | April 26, 1995 |
Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million |
| Box office | Domestic $27,467,564 Foreign $748,354 Worldwide $28,215,918 |
Friday is a 1995 comedy buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tom Lister, Jr. and John Witherspoon, the film revolves around 16 hours in the lives of Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker), who must pay $200 to a drug dealer before 10:00 p.m. on Friday night. The protagonists spend the majority of that time sitting on Craig's porch and interacting with their oddball neighbors and friends. The movie was released on the 26th of April 1995 and has since spawned 2 sequels and an animated series.
Most of this movie was filmed in the southern-most part of South Central Los Angeles. The neighborhood where the film takes place is the same neighborhood in which Boyz n the Hood (also starring Ice Cube) was filmed. The street that Smokey, Craig, and most of the other characters lived on is 126th Street in Los Angeles, between Normandie Ave. and Halldale Ave. The liquor store that they went to is located in Gardena, California, on 135th Street.
Tagline: A lot can go down between Thursday and Saturday...
Cast
- Ice Cube - Craig Jones
- Chris Tucker - Smokey
- Nia Long - Debbie
- Tiny Lister - Deebo
- John Witherspoon - Willie Jones
- Anna Maria Horsford - Betty Jones
- Regina King - Dana Jones
- Paula Jai Parker - Joi
- Faizon Love - Big Worm
- DJ Pooh - Red
- Terri J. Vaughn - China
- Angela Means - Felisha
- Vickilyn Reynolds - Joann
- Ronn Riser - Stanley
- Kathleen Bradley - Mrs. Parker
- Tony Cox - Mr. Parker
- Anthony Johnson - Crack Head Ezal
- Demetrius Navarro - Hector
- Jason Bose Smith - Lil Chris
- Bernie Mac - Pastor Clever
- Yvette Wilson - Rita
- WC - Shooter
- Reynaldo Rey - Red's Father
- Michael Clarke Duncan - Uncredited Dice Player
- Meagan Good - Kid #2
- Christopher G Myree - #3 - 2nd car driver
Plot summary
The film is a look at the day in the life of two friends, Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker) in urban Los Angeles. 22 year old Craig Jones has just been fired from his job at a shoe store and, on top of that, his parents are threatening to kick him out of the house. Meanwhile Craig has his eye on Debbie, but his insanely jealous girlfriend Joy is standing in the way. Craig's best friend Smokey is in the midst of a shady drug deal gone wrong, and Smokey ends up getting Craig into the mess. The drug dealer, Big Worm has had enough of Smokey "Playing with his emotions" and tells him to have his $200 by 10 P.M that night, or else he will kill them.
Reception
The movie was well-received by critics, earning 79% favorable reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes [1], and on Metacritic the film has received an average score of 54, based on 10 reviews. [2]
Box office
Friday grossed grossed $6,589,341 on its opening weekend in 865 theaters, averaging $7,617 per theater. The film has grossed $27,467,564 in North America and $748,354 in the Foriegn box office with a total of $28,215,918 worldwide. [3]
Awards
MTV Movie Awards 1996
- Nominee, Best Breakthrough Performance, Chris Tucker
- Nominee, Best Comedic Performance, Chris Tucker
- Nominee, Best On-Screen Duo, Ice Cube and Chris Tucker
Legacy
The film has spawned two sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next, both of which have received mixed reviews.
An animated television series based on the film was premiered on MTV2, on Sunday, June 24, 2007 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Soundtrack
The Friday soundtrack consists mainly of Hip Hop music and features artists such as Ice Cube, Dr.Dre, Cypress Hill, Scarface, Mack 10 and Rick James
Desired reprise of Smokey (Chris Tucker)
In early April 2007, Ice Cube was a guest on Angie Martinez' Hot97 radio show and stated that he was interested in bringing back Chris Tucker as 'Smokey' in a possible Friday sequel, but that was only possible "if New Line cuts the check."[1]. This is unlikely as Tucker's Rush Hour sequel performances earned him over 20 million dollars per film, and the entire budget for the sequel Next Friday was only 11 million dollars.[2] In 2007, on BET's 106 and Park, Tucker stated interest in appearing in a Friday sequel, saying, "If Cube comes up with a good script, we'll see." In an interview with BlackFilm.com, Ice Cube stated that he would be interested in involving all major characters from the Friday franchise in a possible sequel, but added "I know I'm not going to get Chris Tucker back, but I'd love to get everybody else back."[3]
References
External links
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