Rewatchables Reference

• DJ Pooh originally wrote himself as Smokey, but New Line wouldn't sign off because he wasn't a big enough star. Smart move.
• Tommy Davidson from In Living Color and Chris Rock were also considered for Smokey. Chris Rock was more famous at the time, but imagining him in the role 'just doesn't compute' – his comedy would look like overacting next to Cube.
• Tommy Davidson was also supposed to play Ezal, the crackhead.
• Angela Means' agents wanted her to pass on Felicia because she was too pretty and should have played the pretty girl.

• Justin/Hannah: Craig getting high for the first time – you've been waiting the whole movie for it. Ice Cube doesn't overplay it: subtle shifts, weird non-sequiturs, just chuckling. It's remarkable because you're so used to Ice Cube scowling at you.
• Donnie: Red getting his chain snatched by Deebo – the most moving parts in one scene. You get Deebo, Red's camel walk, and Cube and Smokey reacting.
• Hannah specifically highlights Smokey's Michael Jackson dance moves during the Craig getting high sequence.
• The first hour is basically one continuous rewatchable stretch – it's hard to pluck out individual scenes because the character bits all blend together.

• Nia Long wins – she looks exactly the same in 1995 and 2017. 'Look up a picture of Nia Long in 1985 and one in 2017. You won't believe it.'
• F. Gary Gray's career: Set It Off, The Negotiator, The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton, The Fate of the Furious.
• The clothing: Craig's flannel, khakis, Chucks, and Kangol t-shirt are all timeless.

• The body shaming of Smokey's blind date – Chris Tucker comparing her unfavorably to Janet Jackson ('Freddie Jackson') is the one mean-spirited scene in the movie.
• The angel dust scene with exaggerated Mexican accents – unnecessary ethnic humor, especially in a movie that's otherwise about complicating how we depict people in the hood.
• Analog phones, beepers, Craig's mom star-69ing, Felicia asking to borrow a VCR.
• How terrible the weed looks – 'it looks like he's going to sell a plastic bag to them.'

• Shot on F. Gary Gray's old block (126th and Normandie). The Deebo knockout scene was filmed in front of Gray's childhood house.
• No red or blue colors anywhere in the movie – Crip neighborhood, didn't want gang trouble. All clothes from the Slauson swap meet.
• Actors were paid around $5,000 each. $3.5 million budget, $27 million gross.
• 65% scripted, rest improvised. 'You got knocked the fuck out' was ad-libbed by Chris Tucker.
• Craig being fired on his day off was based on Cube's cousin at UPS.
• Kathleen Bradley (Mrs. Parker) was the first Black Barker Beauty on The Price Is Right.
• Smokey's car is a 1970s Ford Pinto that F. Gary Gray spotted on Western Avenue and instantly knew it had to be Smokey's car. The lime green paint was added.

• Tiny Lister as Deebo – so iconic that you can't watch 'The Dark Knight' without thinking 'why is Deebo bullying people in Gotham?'
• John Witherspoon as Mr. Jones – the bathroom scene alone ('you can smell mine for 5 minutes').
• DJ Pooh as Red – 'the most thankless role' pulled off perfectly.
• Bernie Mac as Pastor Clever – the call-and-response scene is amazing.
• Paula Jai Parker as Joy – her scene accusing Craig of infidelity while she has a whole man in the bed is iconic.

• Ice Cube: Not his commercial peak or his stardom peak, but it is the peak of Cube balancing all the weird elements of his career – the hardcore gangster figure and the softer comedy type. 'It holds his multitudes the best.'
• Chris Tucker: Debated – Rush Hour might be higher commercially, but Friday is where he broke out at 23. His career trajectory since has been disappointing.
• John Witherspoon: Yes – also the dad on The Wayans Bros and Granddad on The Boondocks, but this is peak Witherspoon.

• Chris Tucker doesn't actually inhale the weed – he holds the smoke in his mouth, a telltale sign of a nonsmoker. Meanwhile Craig, the supposed nonsmoker, smokes it properly.
• There's a random voice-over from Craig in the beginning and middle of the movie that then completely disappears. 'It's like they forgot to cut it.'
• The transition to the serious gun message feels inelegant – John Witherspoon's speech is after-school-special territory. The movie 'crashes into that moment.'
• Nia Long as Debbie falling for Craig seems too easy – he didn't really have to do anything. 'A very clear reminder that one man wrote this movie.'

Danny Trejo discussed for Deebo, but no – he's not big enough physically, and you can't take out Tiny Lister.

Chris Tucker unanimously. 'It pains me that Chris Tucker's career is just not in the shape that it should be.'