By Tanya Batson, Staff ReporterTHE RULE with Hollywood is that if you make a good movie, see if you can make it again ... twice. So, after the success of Friday and Next Friday Cubevision has, without hesitation or scruple, presented the world with Friday After Next.
If you watched Friday or Next Friday, you already know what to expect and so you should be able to enjoy this movie - unless for some reason you had high expectations.
Friday After Next follows more closely in Friday's footsteps by forsaking all possibility of a plot. Instead the movie simply lurches forward, strung together by the fact that all the scenes contain either Craig (Ice Cube) or Day Day (Mike Epps). This does not really work against the film. It's Friday and as such anything can happen - and most of it does.
Friday After Next sees Craig once again in the ghetto. This time he has brought Day Day with him. The movie begins at approximately 3 o'clock on Friday morning. The opening of the film explains the age-old question of why Santa Claus does not make his way to the ghetto. As Craig and Day Day are about to find out, when Santa gets to the ghetto he'll probably rob you. This Santa Claus, who is a central character though he speaks only once, is a serial thief, wantonly spreading Christmas mayhem everywhere he goes (much like the real fat guy).
One thing is sure; this is not a Christmas movie, even though it takes place on Christmas Eve. If not for Santa, who is stinking drunk and just plain dirty, it would be quite easy to forget that Christmas has anything to do with this film.
Friday After Next is not as fun as Friday, but sequels are rarely ever as good as the originals, even if it is because of the nostalgia attached to the first flick. Additionally, try as he might, Mike Epps simply cannot fill Chris Tucker's shoes. He is an obvious attempt at a replacement, but his presence simply reminds you that Smoker would have been so much better (and you know this!).
The movie brings back quite a few of the characters who made their mark in the earlier film. John Witherspoon (Mr. Jones) brings back all his bowel-derived jokes. Don 'D.C.' Curry also makes a comeback as Craig's Uncle Elroy. Bebe Drake and Sommore also join the cast.
It is newcomer Kat Williams who is able to inject a bit of fresh blood in the movie, however. Williams plays a miniature pimp named Money Mike. His outfits and voice are simply ripe for laughter, even if his pimping offends you.
Actually, if you have a politically correct bone in your body, everything about this movie will probably offend you. None of the characters come close to the bounds of being normal (especially Ice Cube's deluded belief that every sexy woman is undeniably attracted to him.)
The jokes largely scrape the bottom of the barrel. There are a few that will make you laugh out loud, while others may simply be too obvious for you to do more than chuckle at or acknowledge as an attempt at humour. Even so, if you are a Friday fan, this might not be the best Friday ever but it isn't Monday either.
