As is the case with any sequel, it is compared to the original. "Next
Friday" is no different.
Like most sequels, "Next Friday" fails to capture the essence
of it's predecessor, which in this case is "Friday." "Next
Friday" is to "Friday" what "The
Spy Who Shagged Me" is to "Austin Powers": the
bastard son to a delightfully hilarious father.
"Friday" was original and hilarious. "Next Friday"
possesses neither of these traits. "Friday" would take one
joke, use it, and leave it behind. "Next Friday" takes a
joke from "Friday" and beats the life out of it by using
it over and over. Long after the laughs have stopped. A good representation
of this would be the bathroom scenes involving Craig's (Ice Cube)
father (John Witherspoon). In "Friday" the scene was quite
memorable. The memory of him waving that aerosol can about still makes
me laugh every time. In "Next Friday," the joke gets a bit
of a laugh the first time you see it and then, as it is used repeatedly,
you grow very weary of it.
The use of toilet humor is a science that few films have mastered.
"Friday" used it with great effect, whereas "Next Friday"
makes the viewer feel rancid from the stench emanating from their
DVD/VHS player as the film progresses.
The basic plot of the movie is that Debo (the guy whose ass Craig
kicked at the end of "Friday") has escaped from prison and
is looking for revenge. After catching wind of Debo's imminent return,
Craig's father decides to send Craig to live with his aunt and uncle
for awhile. His aunt and uncle live in the suburbs, so it seems like
a good move I guess. After his arrival Craig and his cousin find themselves
getting into a variety of misadventures that I don't feel the need
to get into. If you still want to see the movie, then you will bear
witness for yourself.
I knew "Next Friday" would be weak compared to the original,
simply due to the fact that Chris Tucker was not included in the film.
I did not anticipate it being this weak however. It has a few laughs,
such as the scene in the record store with Craig kicking Mr. Pink's
ass all over the place, but overall is quite dreadful.
Apparently the filmmakers were trying to take the original, which
was set in the "ghetto," and transplant it into the suburbs.
The idea had potential, but in the end they revisited the original
material a little too much and, when they did, they somehow made it
seem disturbingly bad.
