With February being Black History Month, I wanted to watch films that felt like they represented a moment in history. Whether it's a real, historic moment that is represented in film or a film that represents the life and struggles of some black communities, I chose them because they spoke to the audience and have lingered in the hearts and minds of those who watched them. This iconic movie from the 90s was incredibly popular and I heard people talk about it all the time. The gif, "Daaaammmmnnnn," has been used, even by me, countless times. Scenes from this movie will forever be remembered in infamy. I had to ask a friend what I should watch when I decided on this film. I had a list of about 5 movies and only had one slot left, so I had to ask her which one would surprise her the most if I hadn't seen it. Her immediate response was Friday. I honestly don't know how I've gone the past 25 years without having seen it, especially considering I was in high school when it came out. I think just about all of my friends had seen it before graduation and most of them had the VHS tape, so I could have just borrowed it. There's honestly no good excuse other than it just never happened and I didn't make it a priority. I've always wondered, though, what it was about this movie that had everyone talking about it so much. I know it's about two friends living in an L.A. neighborhood and the random events that happen to them. Because it's titled Friday, I assume that the events take place in a single day, on a Friday, but I can't be sure. I am curious as to what the actual plot is, so maybe I should just get it started and find out!
You can definitely tell that this was a total '90s film. The style, content and apparel in this film don't let you forget it. You are taken on a journey through the course of one day in one small neighborhood. You're pretty much always on the same street, except when they go to the store. You can tell there's so much history on this street between the people there. It's from a time when neighbors used to actually spend time with each other and the neighborhoods were close. Nowadays, people barely talk to their neighbors. If someone shows up at your house unexpectedly without calling first, you're hesitant to let them in now. It's like we've grown so accustomed to avoiding people that we forgot that we used to just randomly pop by to see what you were up to. You just made some hot or iced tea and sat down with a friend. Now our lives are so busy that there's no time for unexpected visitors. Even when you have a day off and you are just staying at home doing nothing, you don't want that day of nothing disturbed. It's a shame that those neighborhoods are dwindling and the age of isolation is expanding.
I absolutely LOVED the soundtrack for this movie. It definitely hit me in my 90s heart. So many good songs in this film reminded me of so many other things in the 90s and my high school heyday. It's funny how there are generations who look back to what they had and se the bad, but I always see the good. Not everything was good, but I find valuable memories in my middle and high school days that I look back on with fondness and a smile. I even knew what movie the dad was watching in his bedroom with the Rottweiler chasing down the postman. I loved that movie. It was called Man's Best Friend and it had Ally Sheedy and Lance Henrikson. It was about a genetic experiment meant to be an unassuming weapon. Great movie, if you haven't seen it.
I've heard the phrase, "Bye, Felicia," too many times to count in the past 5 years and had no idea it came from this film. I have no idea what brought it back after 20 years, but it's really telling about the lasting impression this film has left on those who've watched it. Chris Tucker plays an outrageous character that he seemed to build off of throughout the 90s in multiple movies. I'm honestly surprised I don't hear more people quoting him as he stood over two different people exclaiming, "You got knocked the f*** out!" It's not like I see people actually getting knocked out, but you think it'd be more prevalent in gaming. Also, I recognized the dwarf neighbor from across the street that kicked his wife out from Bad Santa, which I had only just seen two months ago. It was amazing to watch Bernie Mac run from him because I wouldn't have messed with him in that moment, either. He played that character perfectly.
I'm glad I've finally seen this film and can now knock it off my list of "To Be Watched." Some of the antics in here would have resonated with me more when I was in high school, but as an adult who's grown out of those particular habits, it's more obnoxious to me now. I recognize it as something that I have grown out of and that's kind of sad and kind of okay at the same time. As we get older, we mature and evolve into new people, built off of the old versions of ourselves. The older version of me can't put up with the antics of the young as well and it seems sad that I'm now the people I used to make fun of. Knowing that, though, helps me to not take myself so seriously and remember that I did some pretty stupid things, too. As an adult, though, I felt the guys were completely justified in taking a belt to the obnoxious kid on a bike that kept knocking trashcans over. It's not something that would happen now without someone going to jail, but it was soo well deserved. I felt a bit of joy at watching the kid get his comeuppance. They didn't beat him to a bloody pulp, just whipped his butt a little. It was exactly what he needed.
This was a good start to my month of films dedicated to Black History Month. I have one film that I'm going to watch next that should have been watched last month, but I only just got it from the Library today. I'll watch that in the next few days to get my post for Schindler's List complete and out to you all. Stay tuned!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
