This week, we're f–ing up the rotation, and asking Nakea to pick the movie: F. Gary Gray's comedy Friday (1995), starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, and the late great, John Witherspoon.
Witherspoon passed away on Oct. 29, so in his honor Nakea is taking control of this episode, and introducing Michael to the comedy legend's most iconic role in this '90s classic about life in the hood.
In the process, we finally discover what it takes to make The Unenthusiastic Critic laugh, as she revisits this hilarious, shapeless, pot-smoking, scatalogical, drive-by-shooting tour de force.
Program
0:00: Prologue: John Witherspoon Behind the Scenes on Friday
0:42: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
13:06: Interlude: Original Trailer for Friday
15:14: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion
45:08: Outro and Next Week's Movie
Notes and Links
—Movie Reviewed: Friday (dir. F. Gary Gray, New Line, 1995).
—Prologue: from "Behind the Scenes of Friday with John Witherspoon," Entertainment Tonight
—Links and Resources: Strong Black Legends: John Witherspoon; "John Witherspoon’s Style of Comedy was Timeless," Justin Tinsley, The Undefeated; Gene Siskel's review, Chicago Tribune; Desson Howe's review, Washington Post; "After 20 Years, Friday Is (Still) The Most Important Film Ever Made About The Hood," Kelley L. Carter, BuzzFeed; "John Witherspoon Made Every Scene Better," Rembert Brown, New York Times; Review by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly.
—Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation to support the podcast at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
—Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are very welcome.)
—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:17 — 42.7MB)
