Friday Review

This week's Wednesday movie night pick comes from Karl.  Anyone who knows this group would have to have guessed Karl would pick this one (his college nickname was Soul Train after all).  It took me back 15 years.  It had a great nostalgia factor and it ages well.  I forgot how good the soundtrack was and didn't realize how much I actually still use a lot of the lines from it.  The one thing I like most about it is that it doesn't overpower you with weird jokes or even too much of the weed smoking.  You can tell that Chris Tucker is getting high continuously but it doesn't hit you over the head with it like a Cheech and Chong sketch.  The characters are all very funny and slight caricatures without being over the top.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that Friday does a really good job of compromising subtlety with humour.

Of the things that didn't work too well, the first would be the acting.  The best performance is given by Chris Tucker.  His antics, while annoying in another setting, work well when playing "Ghetto Pot Smoker."  Ice Cube is weak.  The timing when he's in dialogue is way off and you can tell he is constantly trying to remember his next line.  His only funny bits really come when he's high or his glances at the camera.  But, remember, this is some of Ice Cube's earlier work.  Much like Will Smith, he does get better the more movies he makes.  And I can always use more John Witherspoon.

If you haven't seen it, you might want to give it a pass or have it lower on your list of comedies to see.  Don't go out of your way.  But, if you saw it years ago, it's good to see it again for the nostalgia factor.