FRIDAY AFTER NEXT
Ethnic Numskulls — a chaotic comedy not worth your conscience.
Should You Watch It?
FRIDAY AFTER NEXT has a few genuinely funny gags, especially the storyline involving a thief dressed as Santa Claus. The Christmas Eve setup and the scramble to recover stolen rent money give the comedy a workable engine.
But the movie strongly advocates premarital sex and marijuana use. It includes many uses of the “f” word, sexual material, nudity, violence, drunkenness, police corruption, and a subplot involving Christian women that is hostile and troubling. The movie also presents an abhorrent worldview that treats much of this behavior as acceptable.
The answer is straightforward: skip it, and choose something that gives your family laughter without asking you to absorb this material.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESOn Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, Craig Jones and his cousin Day-Day discover that a thief dressed as Santa Claus has stolen their Christmas presents and rent money. Their landlady expects the rent that night and threatens to send her criminal son after them.
The cousins find work as unarmed security guards at a strip mall where their fathers’ barbecue restaurant is located. Their new job quickly becomes another source of chaos as they try to recover the money and survive the day.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means there are some entertaining moments, but not enough to overcome the movie’s larger problems. Several comedic bits work, particularly the plot involving the Santa Claus thief. The premise also creates plenty of opportunities for chaotic, physical humor.
The film’s numskull comedy is overwhelmed by its sleaze. Its humor repeatedly depends on foul language, sexual material, marijuana use, and crude behavior. The result is an uneven comedy with a few clean, funny bits buried inside an objectionable experience.
The Worldview
The film is a cultural satire about sex and marijuana use in the African American community. Its street-level perspective may contain some truth, but the review’s judgment is that all people should rise above such material and embrace the worldview of the God of the Bible.
What the movie accepts is the central problem. It strongly advocates premarital sex and marijuana use, treats police as corrupt and often lazy, and includes a minor anti-Christian subplot involving Christian women from a local church. There are also some moral elements: a married man refuses another woman’s advances, and a homosexual ex-con rapist receives his comeuppance. Those elements do not overcome the film’s overall moral direction.
The movie’s central choice is whether crude appetite and cynical behavior will govern life. Scripture gives a clearer path: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong pagan worldview that strongly advocates premarital sex and marijuana use with some moral elements such as married man refuses advances from another woman and words of Christian carol “Silent Night” are heard as well as Christian women send gang after over-zealous security guard, politically-correct view of police and homosexual ex-con rapist gets his comeuppance; about 250 obscenities including many “f” words, 15 mostly strong profanities, use of “N” word, and some body, toilet humor; strong slapstick violence includes hitting elderly mother, man fights thief dressed as Santa Claus, comic chase scenes, limo hits thief who rolls along limo’s lengthy roof, elderly man wildly fires shotgun at people and objects many times, implied beating, and violence to male groin area; implied fornication, implied prostitution, married man tries to fight off amorous woman who knows he’s married, homosexual elements, and other sexual references; upper and rear male nudity, female cleavage and woman in underwear; alcohol use and drunkenness; lots of marijuana use and police take marijuana plant for their own use; and, burglary, theft, some police corruption, movie mocks police, shoplifters caught and hauled away by police, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The movie presents marijuana use and sexual behavior as acceptable. How does Scripture call us to think about self-control and holiness?
1 Corinthians 6:18–20 · Galatians 5:22–23The story includes police corruption, theft, and leaving the scene of an accident. Why does God care about honesty and responsibility even when other people behave badly?
Ephesians 4:25–28 · Romans 13:1–4The film includes Christian characters in a troubling subplot. How should Christians respond when entertainment mocks or misrepresents faith?
1 Peter 3:15–16 · Philippians 4:8The source notes that a married man refuses another woman’s advances. What does faithfulness require when temptation appears?
Matthew 5:27–30 · 1 Corinthians 10:13The Final Word
A few funny gags cannot redeem this movie’s abhorrent mix of profanity, marijuana use, sexual material, violence, and anti-Christian content. For your family or your own conscience, SKIP IT. Find better options here:
