Episode 22: Friday
Justin:
Whatever level of funny that you find FRIDAY to be, and we’ve certainly discussed those levels throughout this episode, I’m going to focus my attention now on a single moment of seriousness. That moment is of course when Craig, starting to get desperate because of the fear of Worm’s wrath, enters his room to grab a gun hidden away in a dresser drawer. As he’s checking it to ensure it’s ready to go, his father, the eccentric Mr. Jones, comes into the room. Now, up to this point, Mr. Jones has been nothing more than a punchline giver and taker, whether it is berating his son for not doing his chores and eating all the food in the fridge, or explaining how a dog bit him in the ass at work. He’s by no means a serious character. But the second he walks into that room and sees his son holding a deadly weapon, all of the bizarre nature of the character slips away and John Witherspoon begins to put on an acting clinic in the middle of a stoner comedy. The impact of using that character to bring weight to the movie and a moment like that is not lost on me and I cannot say enough about how great it is.
One of my most sad memories from my six years teaching high school is when I got called out of class one day because a senior, a former student of mine, had requested to talk to me. I remember rounding the corner and seeing him seated in a chair in an untraveled hallway, hunched over and crying. This was literally one of the sweetest boys on campus, a gentle giant that wouldn’t hurt a fly. As I got closer, he stood up, towering over me in his 6’4” but skinny as a rail frame, and we hugged, him moreorless melting into my embrace. I asked him what happened and all he could say was “they shot him. My friend. They killed him.” Working in South Central Los Angeles, not all that far from where this movie takes place, I didn’t need him to say any more.
I bring that up only to better explain why this scene resonated with me so much. Even in a goofy comedy like this, where the razor-thin plot takes place on a Friday with nothing to do, writers Ice Cube and DJ Pooh felt it was necessary to take a moment from the absurdities and make a tremendously important point about gang violence, guns, respect, and manhood. Most comedies wouldn’t even attempt a moment like this, and for that reason, it’s what sets this one apart. The scene acts as a shock to the system, hopefully landing with some level of earnestness, even on the hardest of hearts.
To then later have the movie culminate in Craig having that same gun back in his hand and a decision in front of him that could ruin his future makes it all the more valuable. A quick flashback and a realization of his father’s wisdom gives him all the reason in the world to put the gun aside and instead, just go knock Deebo the fuck out.
“You win some. You lose some. But you live to fight another day.” No offense to Felicia, but telling her goodbye isn’t the line from FRIDAY that should be memorialized by memes. It’s that one.
Pete:
The difference between important and good is a distinction typically reserved for the classics of yesteryear. I can’t really tell you how many times I’ve talked with someone who makes the claim that a movie like, say, CITIZEN KANE didn’t land for them (or, in some cases, that movie is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA). Really, you can insert virtually any older, respected movie in there and the point remains. Which is all well and good, of course. Different tastes and insights are what make all this so interesting. At any rate, this is where I find myself landing with FRIDAY, a movie that is neither as well regarded as the classics I’ve referenced, nor, frankly, as good. We’ve talked a bunch about how poorly comedies generally age, and I don’t think FRIDAY is any different there.
At 26 years old, FRIDAY is in that weird limbo stage between being just modern enough to stick firmly in the memory of people my age (I’m 38), but old enough that an entire generation of younger movie lovers only recognize it by name. As a comedy very much of its era, the fact that FRIDAY has managed to stand the test of time and remain in the public consciousness goes a long way towards justifying its importance, but more so than its quotability and memeification (both of which are more than enough to justify its status), it’s the representation aspects and influence on subsequent movies that truly make Friday a film worth remembering.
It’s one of those happy accidents that occasionally happen in Hollywood. A right place, right time movie that worked completely when it was released, and is a landmark step forward for black representation on screen and in culture. The movie may not have aged particularly well, but is something worth remembering fondly as a relic of its time. We often hear about the downside of nostalgia, but when we can recognize the pleasures of the past don’t necessarily have to remain the pleasures of the present, there’s a lot of value to be gleaned from these looks back.
