Friday (1995)

Friday (1995) / Country: United States / Director: F. Gary Gray / Duration: 91 min. / Language: English, Spanish / Subtitles: English / Entrance: FREE

It's Friday and Craig Jones (Ice Cube) has just gotten fired for stealing cardboard boxes. To make matters worse, rent is due, he hates his overbearing girlfriend, Joi (Paula Jai Parker), and his best friend, Smokey (Chris Tucker), owes the local drug dealer money -- and that's all before lunch. As the hours drag on, Jones and Smokey experience the gamut of urban life, complete with crackheads, shoot-outs and overly sexual pastors, concentrated into one single, unbelievable Friday.

Friday marked the screenwriting debut of rapper-actor Ice Cube (along with DJ Pooh) and the feature directorial debut of music video director F. Gary Gray. While developing the film, Ice Cube and DJ Pooh expressed discontent regarding the portrayal of the hood in film, with films such as Boyz n the Hood (also starring Ice Cube) and Colors portraying the hood as violent and menacing. Ice Cube and DJ Pooh felt that these films did not portray the full picture of living in the hood, missing a more lighthearted element, with Ice Cube later saying, "we had fun in the hood. We used to trip off the neighborhood."

As a result, they wished to counteract this, drawing on personal experiences when crafting the characters and plot points. Preparations for the film began after the pair were able to secure funding from New Line Cinema, who granted finance in exchange for a seasoned comedian in one of the lead roles; Ice Cube and DJ Pooh quickly settled on Tucker during casting. 

The film was also a commercial success, grossing $27 million worldwide. It then obtained a large cult following, inspiring internet memes and pop-culture references. It launched a media franchise with the sequels Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002), which have also gained a cult following despite their negative reviews.