Ice-Cube's jump into "Next Friday" is, apparently, a leap of faith shared by only a handful of fans. Albeit, a dedicated handful.
The rap star turned movie star revisits his old stomping ground, kind of. Actually he moves from the "hood" to the "burbs," losing a lot of momentum in the process, according to many reviewers.
A sequel to "Friday," (duh), the movie takes up where Craig, Ice-Cube, is forced to move from the pleasant environs of South Central (L.A.) to Cucumonga, to avoid his old nemesis, Debo, recently released from prison, and out for revenge.
Cucamonga, a town whose very mention exacted much mirth in the old radio days, proves to be no laughing matter for Craig. He lives with his dope smoking uncle Elroy and cousin Day-Day who have built their home on lottery winnings. Their suburban villa is next to some Mexican drug dealers who spice up (no pun intended) the action. Will the dreaded Debo find Craig, and whatever will he do once he does?
Written by Ice Cube, the movie is directed by Steve Carr, who, according to the San Francisco Examiner, is in "creative lock down." Nobody seems to be saying "thank God it's 'Next Friday'," yet, in all fairness, this is a must for Ice Cube fans, and it is Carr's feature film debut. Carr is well known in video hip hop circles.
It is rated R for strong language, drug use and sexual content.
It starts Thursday at Cinema One.
