NEXT FRIDAY — turkey — Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Justin Pierce, Don "DC" Curry, Jacob Vargas, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., Tamala Jones, Lisa Rodriguez; rated R (profanity, drug use, racial epithets, vulgarity, violence, sex, partial nudity, brief gore); Century 16 Theaters; MegaPlex 17 at Jordan Commons.
The problem with sleeper hits like the 1995 "in-the-hood" comedy "Friday" is that they can usually be counted upon to spawn a sequel as bad as "Next Friday."
And make no mistake about it, this unfunny farce is as awful as a sequel can get. Any goodwill earned by the first movie's underlying sweetness and surprising low-key charm is quickly erased by this film's nasty racist humor and other exercises in questionable taste (including sexual, drug and flatulence gags).
If that wasn't bad enough, "Next Friday" answers the original film's heartening message (one about the consequences of relying on guns and weapons) with one of its own: Namely, that it's all right to steal, at least as long as the person you're stealing from is a crook.
In fact, given how unstructured and unfinished the film seems to be, you'd swear it was little more than a cheap knock-off — if not for the fact that three prominent members of the first movie's cast have returned, including screenwriter and star Ice Cube, who reprises his role as street savvy Craig Jones.
Having survived the challenges of living in south central Los Angeles — including local bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.) — Craig is faced with a whole new set of challenges when he moves to the suburbs.
Craig isn't exactly thrilled to be moving, but his father (John Witherspoon) fears for his safety — especially when Debo breaks out of prison and vows to take revenge on his nemesis.
So it's off to Rancho Cucamonga, where Craig is welcomed with open arms by his uncle Elroy (Don "DC" Curry) and cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps), who are living off the proceeds of their lottery winnings.
However, their existence isn't as peaceful as it sounds. There are hoods living next door who may be running a drug operation out of their home. Also, Elroy and Day-Day have squandered their fortune quickly, and their house may be seized by the county.
There are intriguing possibilities to all these set-ups, but director Steve Carr (a music video director making his filmmaking debut) and Ice Cube the screenwriter blow every opportunity to make us laugh, or even care, about what's happening on-screen.
As an actor, Ice Cube doesn't fare much better, as he sleepwalks his way through a surprisingly uninspired performance.
Of course, it's not like he gets any help from his co-stars, most of whom (Witherspoon, Curry and Epps) are stand-up comics floundering for a punchline, and who seem to be improvising most of their scenes.
"Next Friday" is rated R for nonstop profanity, simulated drug use (marijuana and hash), use of racial epithets, crude sexual humor and other vulgar gags (flatulence), violent beatings, simulated sex (mostly overheard, done for laughs), partial female nudity and brief gore.