Next Friday

Craig Jones, tired of life in South Central Los Angeles and with no job to show for his Friday, learns that the neighborhood troublemaker Deebo has escaped from prison and is looking for payback. To stay out of reach, Craig moves in with his uncle Elroy and cousin Day-Day, who have left the old neighborhood for a house in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga after Elroy won the lottery.

Suburban life brings its own problems. Elroy has already run through much of his winnings, and Craig and Day-Day find themselves dealing with the neighbors, including three Mexican brothers, as well as Day-Day's tangled romantic situation. Ice Cube stars as Craig and also wrote and produced the film. Steve Carr directed it, his first feature, followed by Dr. Dolittle 2 and Daddy Day Care. Mike Epps plays Day-Day, with John Witherspoon as Craig's father, Don Curry as Uncle Elroy, Justin Pierce as Roach and Jacob Vargas as Joker.

Made for about eleven million dollars, the comedy took roughly sixty million worldwide, a strong return on a modest budget. It holds a 6.5 out of 10 on TMDB from 679 votes, suggesting a generally favorable but not universally enthusiastic audience response. A sequel to Friday, it was followed by Friday After Next.