Common Sense Media Review
Tired trilogy closer with something to offend everyone.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Friday After Next
What's the Story?
In FRIDAY AFTER NEXT, it's the morning of December 24, and Craig (Ice Cube) and his cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) are asleep in their apartment when a burglar disguised as Santa Claus breaks in and steals all of their Christmas presents and the stereo speakers where Day-Day hid their rent money. Their mean landlady and her just-out-of-prison son want that money by the end of the day, so Craig and Day-Day take jobs as security guards at a seedy little strip mall and then have a rent party, which all leads to various encounters with colorful characters.
Is It Any Good?
This third film in Ice Cube's Friday series has something to offend everyone, with bawdy jokes in just about every category. While offering some lowbrow humor, Friday After Next has no aspirations to be anything other than a forgettable good time. Suffice to say, this 1990s film didn't age well. Maybe it was toeing the line at the time, but in the intervening decades, viewers' boundaries have shifted, and the movie's constant attacks on women and the homophobic rape jokes aren't "edgy" anymore—they're unfunny and harmful. Good comedy is subversive, but this film opts out of any opportunity for meaning. Instead, it gets lost in its own recycled jokes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the family relationships in Friday After Next. How do the family members communicate? Do they take care of one another?
Day-Day and Craig's friendship is central to the film. Do they show up for each other? What are other ways that they demonstrate a strong bond?
How did the film's violence make you feel? Was it thrilling, or did it have a negative effect?
How did movies like the Friday trilogy make space for comedies anchored in Black and Brown communities? How would a movie like this be received today?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 21, 2002
- On DVD or streaming : March 25, 2003
- Cast : Ice Cube , John Witherspoon , Mike Epps
- Director : Marcus Raboy
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : New Line
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, drug use, sexual references
- Last updated : April 9, 2026
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