Friday (1995 film)

Friday
Theatrical release poster
Directed byF. Gary Gray
Written byIce Cube
DJ Pooh
Produced byPatricia Charbonnet[1]
Starring
CinematographyGerry Lively[1]
Edited byJohn Carter[1]
Music byFrank Fitzpatrick
Hidden Faces
Production
companies
Distributed byNew Line Cinema[1]
Release date
  • April 14, 1995 (1995-04-14)
Running time
91 minutes[3][4]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million[4]
Box office$27.4 million[4]

Friday is a 1995 American buddy comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh. The first installment in the Friday trilogy, it stars Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tiny "Zeus" Lister Jr., Regina King, Anna Maria Horsford, Bernie Mac, and John Witherspoon. In the film, unemployed friends Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Tucker) face troubles after becoming indebted to a drug dealer while also contending with the neighborhood bully in South Central Los Angeles.

While developing Friday, Ice Cube and DJ Pooh sought to counteract the violent portrayal of the hood in film, and drew on personal experiences when writing the screenplay. Preparations for the film began after the pair were able to secure funding from New Line Cinema, who granted finance in exchange for a seasoned comedian in one of the lead roles; Ice Cube and DJ Pooh quickly settled on Tucker during casting. The film was Gray's film directorial debut, who was previously known as a music video director.

Friday was theatrically released in the United States on April 26, 1995, by New Line. It received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the comedic sequences, writing, and acting performances, particularly Tucker's: the film is considered his breakout role. The film was also a commercial success, grossing $27 million worldwide. It subsequently obtained a large cult following, inspiring several internet memes and pop-culture references and launched a media franchise, with the sequels Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002).

  1. ^ a b c d e "Friday (1995)". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  2. ^ "Friday (1995)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "Friday". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).