Friday After Next [2002, USA, comedy, DVD5]

Ice Cube and Mike Epps return in Friday After Next, the third installment in the hit Friday film series. Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) are back in the old neighborhood and ready for Christmas. Although they've left behind the security of living with their parents, the rundown Shady Palms apartment they now share is filled with all the accoutrements and spirit of the holiday season. It's a time for giving - until Craig wakes up in the middle of the night to discover a ghetto Santa Claus stealing their presents and anything else he can stuff into his sack, including the rent money jammed in their stereo speakers. Faced with the harsh reality of a Christmas without presents and the unwanted advances of their landlady's recently-paroled son if the rent is not paid by midnight on Christmas Eve, Craig and Day-Day are forced to score some quick cash at the local strip mall where their fathers, Mr. Jones (John Witherspoon) and Uncle Elroy (Don "D.C." Curry), have opened Bros. Bar-B-Q restaurant and landed them jobs as unarmed security guards. While Craig handles the chaos of the Christmas Eve shopping crush at stores like Pimp N' Ho's clothing store -- particularly favoring sales associate Donna (K.D. Aubert) -- and Holy Moly's Donut Shop, Day-Day's renegade rent-a-cop tactics put the pair's jobs and lives in jeopardy. As the clock ticks down on another unforgettable Friday, Craig and Day-Day learn some comic lessons about the true meaning of the holiday season. Friday After Next reteams Ice Cube and Mike Epps (Next Friday, All About the Benjamins) headlining an all-star comedy cast led by returning Friday cast members John Witherspoon, Don "D.C." Curry, Anna Maria Horsford as Craig's mom, Mrs. Jones, and Clifton Powell as Pinky. Joining the Friday gang are new cast members Bebe Drake as landlady Miss Pearly; Sommore as Uncle Elroy's new squeeze Cookie; K.D. Aubert as Donna; Katt Micah Williams as Money Mike, proprietor of Pimp N' Ho's; Maz Jobrani as Craig and Day-Day's boss, Moly; and Terry Crews as Damon. The ensemble also includes Joel Miller, Reggie Gaskins, Lou Myers, and Rickey Smiley as Santa Claus. Acclaimed video director Marcus Raboy makes his feature film directorial debut with Friday After Next, from a screenplay by Ice Cube. Cube produces the third installment of the crossover series with Matt Alvarez under the Cube Vision banner. Doug Curtis is executive producer. Cube also executive produced the soundtrack for the film. The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by director of photography Glen MacPherson, production designer Amy Aconda, costume designer Dana Campbell and editor Suzanne Hines. New Line Cinema released Friday After Next (rated "R" by the M.P.A.A. for "harsh language, drug use and sexual situations") nationwide on November 22nd, 2002.