Anyone familiar with the House Party movies of the
early 1990's will know what to expect from this follow up to the 1995 cult hit Friday.
There's not much of a plot and most of the jokes come from playing on the
stereotypes of players in the 'hood (sorry about that, you too may start speaking a little
funny after watching this film). Quite bluntly, it's not the type of film that wins
awards but if you take this film for what it is supposed to be then you just may just
enjoy it.
It's very hard to be critical of a film like Next Friday because it is quite obvious that the makers
only wanted to make a film that is fun, not one that will win any Oscars (not that Oscar
winning films aren't fun). If you were to pick it apart and highlight its faults
than you would have quite a long list but you would also be missing out on what is quite a
fun film.
This time around, Craig (Ice Cube) is sent to the
suburbs to live with his uncle after he learns that the neibourhood bully Debo has busted
out of jail and is keen on exacting some revenge on Craig. If you have seen the
first movie you'll know exactly why Debo is after Craig but those who haven't seen the
original need not fret because all is explained early on in the sequel.
Moving the setting from the 'hood to the suburbs
provides plenty of material for Ice Cube, who wrote the screenplay, and the laughs do
come, albeit spasmodically. Most of the jokes have to do with drugs, sex or flatulence
(sometimes all three at once) so if you don't like movies that are full of cheap laughs
than stay well clear of this film.
Ice Cube acting ability is quite underrated, his
performances in movies like Boyz 'n the Hood and Three
Kings were quite impressive and he certainly has no trouble anchoring this comedy,
although most of the laughs come from his supporting cast while he plays more of a
"straight man".
Fans of the original film will notice that Chris Tucker
does not return for the sequel and his absence is certainly missed. His over-the-top
performance as the drug-loving Smokey kept the first film moving along and without him the
second film is unable to avoid several slow spots that may prove too much for some
viewers.
However, there is still enough to enjoy in this
light-hearted comedy if you can overcome the fact that it is somewhat of a 'nothing"
movie in the sense that it starts off nowhere and takes you absolutely nowhere during its
90-odd minutes.
- Adam Matthews
