Every so often, a movie comes along that defines a generation. And, for a certain subset of cinema appreciators, that movie was Friday, the stoner buddy comedy that gave audiences a peek into the life of Craig Jones, a guy who is having a seriously rough 24 hours.
Today — on the high holiday of smoking pot — the film celebrates its 20th birthday, and acolytes have a special opportunity to see a special director's cut in select theaters. That is, if they are able to put down the bag of Cheetos, peel themselves off the couch, and make it to the movies by 7:30 p.m. (For those who haven't planned their entire day around this outing already: Good luck.)
According to a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Ice Cube, who starred in the movie and also wrote it with rap producer DJ Pooh, is still surprised and thrilled by how much people love the Friday film franchise. "To me, it's one of the Number One movies you check out when you're baked or you're getting down. There's people that have Friday parties, where they rent all three movies and just kind of enjoy 'em. It's morphed into this big thing, and it started off as this little, cool idea...that's what I'm most proud about: It's become part of not only just American culture, but there's people all over the world that really love it. That's how movies should be."
Friday is also the film that bequeathed unto the world the one-liner gem "Bye, Felicia." And, while Ice Cube admits that it was just a throwaway line when it written, he understands why it achieved such real-world resonance. "Somebody tells you, 'Bye Felicia,' and you know that means they're fed up with your ass," he told the magazine. Word.
Not able to make it to the movies for one vape-related reason or another? No worries. You can still buy it for $10 on iTunes. You're probably better off at home anyway. You can order takeout there and get into that big box of Bagel Bites you've been saving for just such an occasion.
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