Essay, Research Paper: Friday (movie)

The movie Friday was one of the best comedies I have ever seen. It had a great
director, a talented cast, a good plot, a spectacular soundtrack, and is filled with funny
gags and jokes. It was by far the most hilarious movie of the decade. I have never
laughed so hard in all of my life. I loved this movie.

The cast of the movie was sensational. Playing the main character was famous
musician and actor, Ice Cube. He is such a serious person that at first I was skeptical
of his performance in a comedy. He has played in such movies as Dangerous Ground,
Higher Learning, and Boyz 'N Tha Hood. Playing opposite of him was Chris Tucker who is
one of the most gifted performers that I've have seen. He has stared in hits such as
Rush Hour, The Fifth Element, and Money Talks. These two along with other big comics
like Bernie Mac, John Whitherspoon, and Fazion Love bring big laughs to the big screen.
Tiny "Zeus" Lester, Nia Long and Regina King do there part as well, to serve up laughs.
It is so important to have a good cast that can play their parts well, and get along. If I
watch a movie and it is evident that the actors are acting, then I lose interest very
quickly. These actors and actresses did a very good job of making every character
believable.

Cast is important, but a good plot is crucial in the success of a film. So many movies
have had great marketing and bombed because the plot was not good. I hate when I
go to see a movie and the plot is not interesting. If I pay money for a movie, I want it
to be worth it. In a comedy, I look for, a lot of, laughs. That is exactly what this movie
gave me, it had it all. They had midgets, catching wives in bed with preachers and
anything else you could look for to make you laugh. To fulfill this requirement on my
movie list is very important. This movie did just that and exceeded the expectations I
had for it.

As with any successful movie you must have a good Quentin Terintino, Mel Brooks, or
Stephen Spilburg working behind the scenes. This film had a gifted director by the name
of F. Gary Gray. I personally think that he is one of the best directors ever. He has
directed box office hits Set It Off and The Negotiator. The movie Set it Off grossed
over 200 million dollars, and The Negotiator was not that far behind. He usually does
the serious type movies, but he proves that he is versatile in this one.

It also had a great soundtrack, which is very important to me. I have to like the music
to a movie in order to like the movie. I mean, who wants to watch an action movie with
country music playing during the fight scenes? I feel that a movie soundtrack should
relay the plot of the movie. In this case there were great musicians to do that. There
were such r&b as Al Greene, Teddy Pendergrass, and Smokey Robinson. Add to that,
great new artist like Monica, Ice Cube, Master P, and you have a multi platinum
soundtrack. I really enjoyed the music, and it helped in the promotion of the film. I
really don't think the movie would have been as successful as it was.

While I really enjoyed this movie, it is not for all eyes to see. The target audience is
primarily the younger African Americans, although I would suggest it to adolescence of
all colors. Though the film is one of my favorites of all time, there were a few things
about it, I found, that didn't sit to well with me. For instance, the continued use of
extreme profanity was really distasteful, as well as, the use of alcohol and marijuana,
by the character, Smokey. It was not so vulgar as some films, but still quite offensive
to some extent. I think most college students would like this more because most
college students like to party and would find these things offensive. I found the film
extremely funny and in the great words of Siskel and Ebert I gave it "two thumbs up!"