Black Friday
By Jeffrey M. Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Missed potential in gory holiday-themed horror comedy.
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Black Friday
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What's the Story?
In BLACK FRIDAY, it's Thanksgiving Day, and Chris (Ryan Lee) prepares to report for work at We Love Toys for the big Black Friday sale, which starts at midnight. Veteran co-worker Ken (Devon Sawa) drives him, and they meet up with co-workers Archie (Michael Jai White), Marnie (Ivana Baquero), and Ruth (Ellen Colton), as well as snippy assistant manager Brian (Stephen Peck) and smarmy manager Jonathan (Bruce Campbell). Things begin badly (no paid breaks, gummed-up registers, icky spills on Aisle 7) and grow steadily worse when a gooey blob of alien ectoplasm starts turning customers into rampaging zombies. Trapped in the stockroom, the burned-out co-workers and pompous bosses must put aside their woes and work together to stay alive.
Is It Any Good?
The elements are here for a memorable, re-watchable holiday horror-comedy, but despite the practical FX and genre fave Campbell, it feels a little too low-energy and depressing to be fun. The cast of Black Friday is all fine. Clad in a sweater, overalls, and Santa hat, Sawa makes a brawny, Han Solo-type tough guy; White is a capable hero, wielding a nailgun like a soldier; Baquero (all grown up since Pan's Labyrinth) is a plucky voice of reason; Lee provides comic relief; and Peck's character takes his tiny amount of power extremely seriously. On the other hand, Campbell, who's usually an effortless scene-stealer, can't seem to find the through line that would make Jonathan funny; his jokes only land sporadically.
While it's great to see practical zombie effects, the filmmakers don't really do much with the monsters that genre fans haven't seen before. They snarl and jump out and bite, but not much else. It's only at about the two-thirds mark that an idea comes together, but then it just kind of sits there. At the core of Black Friday is a deep, icy anger about capitalism and shopping, with the employees bemoaning their dead-end, soul-sucking jobs -- and with Campbell praising the whole evil scheme of the Black Friday "sales" -- and the customers coming across as both literal and figurative monsters. (Even the season's hottest toy, "Dour Dennis," is a sad creature.) But the movie isn't just a little too pointed with its theme; it also fails to offer any alternate ideas, let alone any hope or heart.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Black Friday's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What elements of horror does the movie have? Why do people sometimes like to be scared at the movies?
How is drinking portrayed? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How does this movie compare with other holiday movies you've seen? What message is it sending about holiday shopping/consumption?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 19, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: November 23, 2021
- Cast: Devon Sawa , Ivana Baquero , Bruce Campbell
- Director: Casey Tebo
- Studio: Screen Media
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Holidays
- Run time: 81 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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