Friday After Next

''Friday After Next'' is a 2002 American stoner comedy film directed by Marcus Raboy and starring Ice Cube (who also wrote the film), Mike Epps (in a dual role), John Witherspoon, Don "D.C." Curry, Anna Maria Horsford, and Clifton Powell. It is the third and final installment in the ''Friday'' trilogy. The film was theatrically released on November 22, 2002, to generally negative reviews.

Plot

On the early morning of Christmas Eve, a robber disguised as Santa Claus breaks into Craig and Day-Day's apartment. Craig tries to fend him off, while making failed frantic calls to Day-Day who is still sleeping. The robber ultimately ends up escaping with Craig and Day-Day's Christmas presents and rent money. Craig and Day-Day then file a police report.

After the police leave, Craig and Day-Day are confronted by their landlady Ms. Pearly, who warns them that if the two do not pay their overdue rent by the end of the day, she will evict them. Furthermore, she promises to send her son Damon, a newly released ex-convict who developed homosexual tendencies in prison, after them if they do not pay in a timely manner. Craig and Day-Day get ready to start their first day jobs as security guards from the property manager Moly, who is the owner of a notoriously squalid doughnut shop and the shopping center that they are assigned to patrol.

The shopping center is also the home of a BBQ rib restaurant called "Bros. BBQ", co-owned by the cousins' father Willie and Elroy. Shortly after they come on duty, the power of being a security guard goes to Day-Day's head, and he begins hassling carolers and shoppers, forcing Craig to keep him in line. The two and Elroy are then robbed at assumed gunpoint by the same robber who burglarized their apartment and subsequently chase him down, but are unable to catch him. Later that day, the two meet Donna and her pimp Money Mike, who run a fledgling shop called 'Pimps and Hoes'.

Soon after, a couple of baseheads (habitual users of freebase drugs) pull off a scheme to try to shoplift from Money Mike's store, but Craig and Day-Day catch them both and turn them over to the police. Mike offers them a cash reward, but Craig refuses it and instead invites him to his and Day-Day's Christmas Eve party.

In "Bros. BBQ" as the adults entertain some of the neighborhood children while dressed up as Christmas figures, Willie and Elroy begin having trouble with some of them due to their bad attitudes. When one of them kicks Elroy, he retaliates by taking out his belt and starts a series of beatings on the kids.

As Craig and Day-Day are about to take a lunch break, a gang of thugs (supposedly the grandsons of the carolers that were earlier chased off by Day-Day) chase after them. After failing to catch them, the gang members proceed to beat up Moly for supposedly hiding them, resulting in Craig and Day-Day getting fired for not helping him, despite being on their break at the time. As revenge, Willie calls the Department of Health on Moly, whose inspectors then proceed to chase him.

Later that night, Craig and Day-Day convert their Christmas Eve party into a rent party to recoup their stolen rent money. Many of Craig and Day-Day's friends and family show up including Money Mike and Donna, Day-Day's old boss Pinky, and Damon. While Money Mike is in the bathroom, he is confronted by Damon who attempts to sexually assault him, but fails when Money Mike crunches his testicles with pliers. With the bathroom occupied, Craig tells Willie to ask Ms. Pearly if he can use her bathroom. Ms. Pearly then attempts to seduce Willie, but Craig's mother Betty catches and attacks her. After Money Mike lets go of Damon, Damon chases him through the neighborhood after Donna drives off without him.

Craig and Day-Day see the robber and after ambushing him inside his hideout, they chase him all over the neighborhood, running into several obstacles, in the process until he is eventually hit by Pinky's limousine. Craig and Day-Day then retrieve their stolen rent money and Christmas presents, and tie the robber up on his roof, leaving him there for the police.

Meanwhile, Damon continues chasing Money Mike throughout the neighborhood. Ms. Pearly tries to call the police on the party, but Craig and Day-Day buy them off with marijuana. Day-Day hooks up with two of Pinky's girls before Betty walks in on him. Craig convinces Donna to return to the party and the two end up having sex in Craig's room.

Cast

* Ice Cube as Craig Jones, a slacker who gets a job as a security guard.
* Mike Epps as:
** Day-Day Jones, the cousin of Craig who gets a job as a security guard.
** "Crazy Old Man with Shotgun"
* John Witherspoon as Willie Jones, the father of Craig and uncle of Day-Day who now co-owns a rib restaurant called "Bros' BBQ".
* Don "D.C." Curry as Elroy Jones, the father of Day-Day and uncle of Craig who now co-owns a rib restaurant called "Bros' BBQ".
* Anna Maria Horsford as Betty Jones, the mother of Craig and the aunt of Day-Day who helps out at "Bros. BBQ".
* Clifton Powell as Pinky, the former boss of Day-Day.
* Bebe Drake as Ms. Pearly, Craig and Day-Day's landlady who likes Willie.
* Terry Crews as Damon Pearly, the tough ex-con son of Mrs. Pearly who has homosexual tendencies.
* Katt Williams as Money Mike, a pimp who runs a shop called "Pimps and Hoes".
* Rickey Smiley as a robber Santa Claus that runs afoul of Craig and Day-Day.
* Sommore as Cookie, a waitress at "Bros' BBQ" who is Elroy's latest girlfriend after he and Suga broke up.
* K. D. Aubert as Donna, a employee of Money Mike who Craig falls for.
* Maz Jobrani as Moly, the proprietor of a squalid doughnut shop called Holy Moly Doughnuts and property manager of the shopping center who Craig and Day-Day work for.
* Joel McKinnon Miller as Officer Alvin Hole
* Reggie Gaskins as Officer Brian Dix
* Brian Stepanek as Officer Bailey
* Delores Jones as Grandma Jones, the mother of Willie and Elroy and the grandmother of Craig and Day-Day who hasn't been acting normal ever since Willie slapped her on the head during a "Bros' BBQ" commercial due to the restaurant's catchphrase "Taste so good, makes you want to slap yo mama!"
* Gerry Bednob as Moly's father
* Starletta DuPois as Sister Sarah
* Frances Gray as Sister Faye
* Donald Campbell as himself
* Chris Williams as Broadway Bill
* Khleo Thomas as Bad Boy #1
* Daniel Curtis Lee as Bad Boy #2
* Lendell "Kebo" Keeble as C.W., Pinky's chauffeur.

Production

Filming began on November 1, 2001, and wrapped in January 2002.

Reception

Box office

''Friday After Next'' grossed $13 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office. It made $7.4 million in its second weekend (including $10.6 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), falling to sixth. It went on to gross $33.5 million worldwide.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "This ''Friday'' installment is more shapeless and stale than its predecessors." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 2 out of 4 and wrote: "I guess there's an audience for it, and Ice Cube has paid dues in better and more positive movies ("Barbershop" among them). But surely laughs can be found in something other than this worked-over material. "
Ernest Hardy of L.A. Weekly called it "Loud, chaotic and largely unfunny," and Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel wrote: "To call this film a lump of coal would only be to flatter it."

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave it a positive review: "Fast and raunchy, Friday After Next surely stands apart from other holiday-themed movies for its gleeful low-down humor and a raft of uninhibited characters involved in one outrageous predicament after another."

Soundtrack

''Friday After Next'' is the soundtrack from the film of the same name. It peaked at number 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

See also

* List of Christmas films

References

External links

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{{Friday movie

2002 films
2002 LGBT-related films
African-American comedy films
American buddy comedy films
American Christmas comedy films
American sequel films
Cube Vision films
New Line Cinema films
Friday (franchise)
Films scored by John Murphy (composer)
American films about cannabis
Films directed by Marcus Raboy
Films produced by Ice Cube
2000s hip hop films
Hood comedy films
Films with screenplays by Ice Cube
2000s buddy comedy films
2000s Christmas films
2000s Christmas comedy films
2002 directorial debut films
2002 comedy films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films