The Movie

Here we go again. Ice Cube's production company, Cube Vision, is kickin' it hard for round three boyeee! Now I absolutely loved the first Friday. I admit I am one of those guys' who can recite almost the entire movie word for word. And I really liked the sequel, Next Friday, even though it was sillier and had a less meaningful plot. So given this trend I should at least like Ice Cube's third installment, Friday After Next. Well, I think this movie might have killed the series once and for all. The movie definitely has its funny moments, but overall it's just a bunch of slapstick drivel that looks like it's trying overly hard to make people laugh.

Craig (Ice Cube) and his moronic cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) return for another unusually chaotic Friday, only this time it's the day before Christmas, and not surprisingly, the day isn't full of cheer. The dynamic duo are now roommates in a ghetto apartment development called Shady Palms. Early Christmas Eve they are robbed by a drunk Santa Claus who among other things, steals Craig and Day-Day's rent money. So the two must take temporary jobs as security guards at a local mini-mall to keep from being evicted. Naturally the two get into trouble on their first day on the job, and needless to say they don't finish the shift still employed. They meet some interesting characters along the way, some funny and some just stupid. Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, my brain hurts trying to explain this plot.

Now I don't blame Ice Cube for trying to keep this series alive. After all, nobody expected it to have come this far, but I think if he's going to front all his money for a major motion picture release, he should at least make the script good. Yeah, there are some funny new characters, well one funny new character. But this isn't enough to carry a movie. I think part of the problem comes from newcomer director Marcus Raboy. It was clear watching the movie that he over-directed, what with all the needless slapstick humor that padded this film. But after watching several of the special featurettes on this disc, I got a feeling for why he did this. The simple answer is, fear. This was his first major feature film, and since Ice Cube produced and stared in it, Raboy just didn't want to make any waves. After all, Cube funded the movie; so I don't blame Raboy for stepping aside. Cube mentions that he likes to hire first-time directors. I think this is the reason why, because they're easier to control.

Anyway, subtlety gets thrown out the window in Friday After Next. What made the first Friday so good was the understated acting from the cast. Here, everyone is constantly trying to outdo the other, so it just becomes too much to handle. Mike Epps, who was very entertaining in Next Friday, goes way over the top in his role here. And in an even bigger surprise, John Witherspoon, who is hilarious in Friday, takes his comedy to an unfunny physical level that comes across as desperate. The sole bright side to this movie is newcomer Katt Williams who plays Money Mike, new owner of the clothing store called Pimps & Hoes. Williams brings the fresh comedic timing that Mike Epps brought to the second instalment, Next Friday.

Those who liked the first two Friday movies will most likely enjoy Friday After Next, though probably not nearly as much. This release comes with a nice collection of special features, and a decent video transfer and soundtrack. So true lovers of the series may want to buy it, but if you're a causal newcomer to this trilogy, then you'll definitely want to rent it first.


The DVD

Video: Friday After Next is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture is generally excellent. Colors are rich, and seem to be accurately reproduced. Black levels are rock solid, and edge enhancement is minimal if not non-existent. The picture is clean and crisp, with only minor compression artifacts visible. This is another great transfer from New Line Home Entertainment.

Audio: Not surprisingly the audio sounds fantastic as well. Here we have both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS audio track available. Both tracks sound amazing and offer great separation from all speakers. I was surprised at how active the soundtrack was, especially with the rear surrounds. The songs played throughout the movie really help the movie come alive, and there is plenty of bass to be had from the LFE channel. This was a much better sounding DVD than I was expecting.

Extras: Infinifilm does it again. There are a ton of extra features offered on this release, so lets get started.

Microphone Fiend: (12:50) This is a featurette about comedians and their craft. Here you'll find several interviews with established and up and coming comedians. You'll get to hear their take on what comedy means to them, and what every comedian wants in life. This was an interesting featurette, even though it isn't extremely relevant to the movie.

It Was A Good Day: (10:05) This is a featurette that takes you behind the Friday franchise. Here you'll here interesting facts about the Friday movies, and their actors.

Ghetto Fabulous: (6:35) This is a costume design documentary. Here you get to see how each of the characters were clothed, and what each actor brought to their role. This was interesting, but not very entertaining.

The Pork Report: (10:00) I don't know if this was a joke or not, but this featurette is all about BBQ restaurants. Weird. Anyway, here you get to see various BBQ restaurant owners talk about their specific style of making BBQ dishes. This seemed more like an infomercial than a documentary.

Commentaries: We're offered two different commentarires. The first is with director Marcus Raboy, producer Matt Alverez, and Ice Cube. The second is with the actors, Katt Williams, Anna Marie Horsford, Terry Crews, and K.D. Aubert. Both are entertaining and worth at least a partial view.

Hump Day: (16:55) This is a production documentary. Here you hear from the actors and get to know their personalities a bit.

Holiday in the Hood: (8:45) This is a production design documentary. Here you see what went into finding and building the various sets and locations, such as the mini-mall, and Shady Palms housing development. This can be interesting at times, but for the most part it is very boring.

Deleted Scenes: For most of these scenes, it was obvious why they were taken out. Actually, I feel they should have deleted even more scenes than they did.

Gag Reel: (6:45) Now this was much funnier than the film itself, which doesn't say much for the movie.

Music video: (4:05) This is a video for "It's The Holidaze" by Westside Conneciton.


Final Thoughts

If Ice Cube continues to make more Friday movies, I sure hope more time will be spent on the scripts. Even though this movie was marginally entertaining, it simply pales in comparison to the first and second Friday movies. The special features on this disc were almost too revealing, because now we can see why things are heading in the wrong direction.

I greatly enjoy the characters in the Friday movies, but these characters can only take the franchise so far without a strong plot. True enthusiasts may want to pick this one up site unseen to complete the trilogy, however the majority will want to rent it first. Rent It