Working as security guards, Craig and Day-Day run into the thief who stole their Christmas presents.
Craig and Day Day have finally moved out of their parents houses and into their own crib. The cousins work nights at a local mall as security guards. When their house is robbed on Christmas Eve they team up to track him down.—PhatBleek
Craig and his cousin Day-Day have finally gotten jobs as mall security guards and moved into their own crib. When a fake evil Santa Claus robs their rundown apartment on Christmas Eve, they embark on a comical adventure in an effort to track down the bandit and retrieve their stolen loot. Meanwhile Day-Day's rent-a-cop tactics cause them to continually miss their chance to catch Santa Claus and instead has them squaring off against innocent caroling ladies, shady neighborhood kids and the police.—Anthony Pereyra <[email protected]>
It's Christmas time in the 'hood, and those crazy cousins, Craig and Day-Day, have finally left the security of their parents' homes and moved into their own apartment. But a ghetto grinch breaks into their"crib" and steals all their presents--and the rent money hidden in their stereo speakers. Craig and Day-Day's only hope of avoiding eviction before Christmas is to take jobs as unarmed security guards at a local strip mall, where they learn some comic lessons about the true meaning of the holiday season.
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.
The movie begins when a robber, disguised as Santa Claus, breaks into Craig and Day-Day's house at 3:37 AM on Christmas Eve. Craig fights with the robber, trashing their apartment while making frantic, futile attempts to wake Day-Day. The robber escapes with Craig and Day-Day's Christmas presents and rent money. The same morning, the police come over to get a report.
After the police leave, Mrs. Pearly comes in and says that if the two do not pay their rent money by the end of the day, she will evict them. Furthermore, she promises to send her homosexual ex-convict son, Damon (who just got out of prison after 12 years), after them if they do not pay in a timely manner. The same day, Craig and Day-Day get jobs as "Top Flight Security Guards" from Moly, the property manager and owner of a notoriously squalid doughnut shop and the shopping center that they are assigned to patrol.
Later that day, they meet Donna and Money Mike, who run a fledgling shop called 'Pimps and Hoes'. The shopping center is also the home of a BBQ rib restaurant called 'Bros. BBQ', owned by the cousins' fathers, Willie and Elroy.
A couple of baseheads try to rob Money Mike's store, but Craig and Day-Day catch them both. Mike offers them a cash reward, but Craig refuses it and instead invites him to his Christmas party. Willie and Elroy are having trouble with some of the children. When one of them kicks Elroy, he retaliates by taking out a belt and starts a series of beatings on the kids. Then, shortly after Moly gives Craig and Day-Day a lunch break, a gang of thugs (supposedly the grandsons of some of the carolers that were chased off by Day-Day for loitering in front of the corner store) chase after Craig and Day-Day. After failing to catch them, the gang members proceed to beat up Moly for supposedly hiding them, resulting in Craig and Day-Day (who witnessed the entire ordeal) throwing away their uniforms and quitting after witnessing what happened to Moly, and this causes Moly to "fire" them on-the-spot (due to Moly accusing them of lazing around and allowing him to be beaten, even though they were just given a lunch break). As revenge, Willie rats Moly out to the Department of Health.
Later that night, Craig and Day-Day throw a rent party to recoup their stolen rent money and stay in their apartment. While Money Mike is in the bathroom, Damon appears and attempts to sexually assault him, but fails when Money Mike crunches his testicles with pliers. Damon then proceeds to chase Money Mike when he tries to run away. Also Mrs. Pearly comes on to Willie when he uses her bathroom, causing Craig's mother, Betty, to come in and attack her when she catches the two. Craig and Day-Day see the robber and give chase, running into other obstacles (including a psychotic but comedic old man armed with a double-barreled shotgun, played by Epps) and are ultimately successful. The robber eventually gets run over by Pinky's limousine.
The movie ends with Craig and Day-Day retrieving their stolen rent money and Christmas presents and tying the robber up on his roof. During the credits, it is revealed that Craig and Donna hooked up after Craig returned, Damon is still chasing Money Mike throughout the neighborhood, and that Ms. Pearly tried to stop the party by calling the police, but they left after receiving marijuana as a bribe.
