Next Friday

For its first hour, Next Friday is a seat-bouncing scream with a good, hard laugh almost every minute, as South Centralite Craig (screenwriter Ice Cube) is forced to flee to the suburbs when Debo (stray-eyed Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.), the bully he beat up in the finale of the first Friday, escapes from the pokey and comes looking for revenge. Crashing with a cul de sac cousin (Mike Epps), Craig meets his hilarious, smack-talking, little old lady neighbor and clashes with the recently sprung gang of vatos two doors down. There isn't much in the way of story--which is forgivable while the guffaws keep coming. But sitcom plot resolution takes over the last 30 minutes and the movie loses most of its steam. Optional. (R. Blackwelder)