Friday

The movie Friday is a comedy, but it also depicts many important social

issues. The story is set in the city of Los Angelos, California, in what

could be called a high class ghetto. The main theme of the movie is about a

young black man who looses his

job and is influenced by his best friend to smoke marijuana. The movie also

shows the relationships of his family and other members of his neighborhood.

With a zany cast of characters and a hilarious script this movie touches on

everything from gang v

lence to the use of drugs, crime, guns, relationships, sex and life in the

ghetto. Because of all these issues, I found this an interesting movie with

a wide variety of topics to address.

Marijuana has been around for a long time. It's use is once again becoming

popular. Although it's not legal, many people use it socially and for

medicinal purposes. The Hollywood elite smoke it. Musicians such as Dr. Dre

and the Black Crows celebra

it's use. Television shows like Saturday Night Live and Kids In the Hall

depict it as harmless fun.

Marijuana fashion has grown into a ten million dollar industry, with the

seven branch marijuana leaf showing up on caps, T-shirts, earrings and

tattoos. Studies show that after a decade of declining drug use, marijuana

use has increased sharply among

gh school students and college students in the last two years (Duschbaun 8).

In the movie Friday, rap star Ice Cube plays the character Craig. Craig has

never smoked marijuana. However, his best friend "Smokey" smokes marijuana

everyday. Craig looses his job, leaving him home all day with nothing to do

to occupy his time. H

just hangs out in the neighborhood with his friends. Smokey tries to

convince Craig to try some marijuana. At first Craig doesn't want to.

Smokey is persistent. He points out to Craig that he doesn't have to work

and doesn't have anything better to

. Craig and Smokey eventually sit on the front porch and get stoned. Peer

pressure is obviously the only reason Craig gives in. Actually he had other

options, but he chose not to use them. Common sense and a simple explanation

would have worked for

aig just fine (How to Say No and Keep Your Friends 23) Everyday we are faced

with choices. It is up to us to decide what's right and wrong. Craig

decides to try it and things start to happen that he really doesn't like.

Craig and Smokey get into some trouble with the neighborhood dealer, Big

Worm. Smokey sells pot for him, but can't pay him the money he owes because

he and Craig smoked the pot. Big Worm threatens them and sends a gang of

"hoods" after them with mach

e guns. They just barely escape and are scared shitless. The amount of gang

violence that can be contributed to the use and sale of illegal drugs has

risen dramatically in the past seven years (Gates 67). It's no wonder that

this is happening with th

use of marijuana becoming so popular again.

Violence and crime are issues we hear about every day. We can watch any

news broadcast and see the evidence of these increasingly worrisome problems.