FRIDAY REVIEW!!! (THROWBACK SERIES)

Initial release date: April 26, 1995

Studio: New Line Cinema

Tagline: A lot can go down between Thursday and Saturday ...

Plot: It's Friday and Craig Jones has just gotten fired for stealing cardboard boxes. To make matters worse, rent is due, he hates his overbearing girlfriend, Joi, and his best friend, Smokey, owes the local drug dealer money - and that's all before lunch. As the hours drag on, Craig and Smokey experience the gamut of urban life, complete with crackheads, shoot-outs and overly sexual pastors, concentrated into one single unbelievable Friday.

Cast

Ice Cube - Craig Jones

Chris Tucker - Smokey

Nia Long - Debbie

Tom Lister Jr. - Deebo

John Witherspoon - Mr. Jones

Anna Maria Horsford - Mrs. Jones

Regina King - Dana Jones

Paula Jai Parker - Joi

Faizon Love - Big Worm

DJ Pooh - Red

Angela Means - Felisha

Vickilyn Reynolds - Joann

Kathleen Bradley - Mrs. Parker

Tony Cox - Mr. Parker

Anthony Johnson - Exal

Demetrius Navarro - Hector

Bernie Mac - Pastor Clever

Writer(s): Ice Cube (The Pinky Promoters; Friday After Next; All About the Benjamins)

DJ Pooh (The Wash)

Director: F. Gary Gray (MIB: International; The Fate of the Furious; Straight Outta Compton)

Rated R for pervasive strong language and drug use, and for a brutal fight (91 minutes)

Before it left HBO Mac, I took a look at the 1995 comedy Friday. It's also one of those comedies that I've been meaning to always check out. And, man this one is hilarious!

Chris Tucker and Ice Cube are comedy gold together and all of their scenes will really make you laugh hysterically. There are several one-liners and moments that are really memorable and of course this is where the ever-popular "Bye Felisha" started.

I honestly think the role of Smokey is Chris Tucker's funniest role to date! He has so many humorous moments in this comedy and I can't really think of anyone else who could have played the role. The whole supporting cast also does a great job carrying the comedy along and helps make the whole movie extremely entertaining.

Even though Friday and its sequels are currently NOT AVAILABLE on HBO Max, you can rent them on Google Play, Redbox, YouTube, Amazon Prime and Apple TV for $3.99.

Here are some fun tidbits for the movie Friday!

• The neighborhood in which Friday is set is the same South Central LA area in which director F. Gary Gray spent his childhood. Principal houses that were used for filming were houses of old friends of Gray. The scene where Deebo punches Red causing him to fly in the air is Gray's childhood home.

• This movie was filmed in only 20 days.

• Chris Tucker improvised many of his lines in the movie.

• Chris Rock and Tommy Davidson were considered for the role of Smokey.

• Before Friday's release, movies such as Boyz in the Hood (also starring Ice Cube) and Colors portrayed a life in the hood as violent and menacing. Ice Cube and DJ Pooh felt that these films didn't portray the full picture of living in the hood, missing a more light-hearted moment, with Ice Cube later saying, "we had fun in the hood. We used to trip off the neighborhood." Therefore, Cube and DJ Pooh decided to create a movie that would portray the environment.

• Friday grossed $6.6 million on its opening weekend debuting at No. 2 at the box office in 865 theaters. The movie grossed $27.4 million domestically, against a $3.5 million budget.

• The movie has obtained a large cult following since its release. A scene in the movie is the source of the internet meme "Bye, Felicia" - which is a phrase meant to dismiss an inconsequential person.

• The movie's success spawned two sequels: Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002). A fourth movie has been in the works for several years.