Friday

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Screening Suggestions

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This month I figured I'd go over some of my all-time favourite stoner comedies. We'll start with a gem from the mid-90s called 'Friday'. Yes, the same 'Friday' that the phrases "You got knocked the F#@% out!" and "Bye, Felicia" comes from. It didn't have a huge theatrical release, but it eventually became a cult stoner classic.

The story follows Craig (Ice Cube) and his best friend, Smokey (Chris Tucker) throughout one fateful Friday in South Central LA. Largely involved are a love interest for Craig named Debbie (Nia Long), a drug dealer named Big Worm (Faizon Love), the neighborhood bully, Deebo (Tiny Lister Jr.) and even Craig's parents (John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Horsford).

Even though it sounds pretty half-assed, yes, that really is the basic plot. And that's kind of what makes it such a great stoner movie. The film is essentially you just hanging out with these guys one Friday when a bunch of stuff goes down. They sit on the porch, people-watch the neighbors, get high, talk to more neighbors, and get high again. It's kind of an ideal waste of time, and this movie has always been a good go-to for me if I just want something on in the background.

But even in saying that it's an "ideal waste of time", the film is not at all below getting the right messages in there. It also focuses on Craig's family from Craig's perspective, and all figures feel like they're relatable. The sister provides a bit of playful sibling rivalry, the mother is a strong authority figure, and the father is the comedy relief who makes a surprise ending worth waiting for. It's a moment that sort of comes out of left field and adds a great dramatic twist to an otherwise pretty goofy comedy. It's also full of one-liners. We know the famous ones, but this movie is full of ones that don't get any attention.

There are now three of these movies; this, 'Next Friday' and 'The Friday After Next' (a Christmas movie), and for my money this still holds up as the best and brightest of the three. The following movies are far more within the realm of comedy, and enjoyable in their own right, but there's not much of a dramatic twist in either of them such as this one has.

You'll also get a slew of other recognizable faces like Bernie Mac, Tony Cox, Regina King to name a few. It's an easy watch, and I'd even say it's worth checking out if you're not into the Wacky Tobbacky, if only to see what all the memes and one-liners taken from this movie mean. 

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