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Which classic Black film is better: Coming to America or Friday? It’s the final episode of Season 1 and it only felt right to bring back Nichole Hill and Jonquilyn Hill to settle their best-of-three series. Nichole says Coming to America is a more complete film with visionary casting featuring extraordinary songs. Jonquilyn says Friday is so ingrained in our culture that people quote it without even realizing they’re quoting the film. Which film will Ronald Young Jr. pick as the final victor in the first season of Pop Culture Debate Club?

Follow Nichole @nicholewthanh on Instagram and @nichill732 on Twitter and Jonquilyn @jonquilynhill on Instagram and Twitter.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Nicole Hill, Nichole Hill, Jacqueline Hill, Jonquilyn Hill, Ronald young Jr.

Ronald young Jr.  00:25

When it comes to classic black films, there are two that are often referenced and quoted ad nauseam. The first is a buddy comedy made in 1995 that depicts friends Craig and Smokey sitting on a porch smoking weed and enjoying themselves until they are forced to reckon with a debt they have to pay by the end of the day. This, of course, is Friday, starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, who also wrote the film. It’s lauded for being a film that didn’t highlight the violence amongst black communities in South CentralL.A but rather showed a slice of life, albeit very comedic and at times cartoonish. The second film is a romantic comedy made in 1988 that depicts the Crown Prince Akeem Joffer, who leaves his home country of Zamunda to find love in Queens in New York City. Hilarity ensues in this fish out of water storythat features Eddie Murphy in his prime, not only starring in but also featured in various otherroles in the film. Both are beloved films. Both are referenced in our daily lives and memes. But which comedy film is better, coming to America or Friday? We decide once and for all, right here and right nowon Pop Culture Debate Club.

 

Ronald young Jr.  01:55

Welcome back to Pop Culture Debate Club. I’m your host, Ronald Young Jr. Let’s meet our panelists for the day, representing coming to America. Our next guest is a writer and host of the award winning podcast, the Secret Adventures of black people. And be sure to check out her new show, ‘Our Ancestors Were Messy’ on all streaming platforms. Hello and welcome back to Nichole Hill.

 

Nichole Hill  02:27

It’s such a pleasure to be here. Especially with y’all, especially with this topic.

 

Ronald young Jr.  02:31

I love it. I cannot wait. Also joining us, representing the classic film ‘Friday’ is audio producer and host of the popular Vox Media Podcast. Explain it to me. Let’s welcome back our play cousin, Jonquilyn Hill.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  02:45

Hello. I am so happy to be here and repping Friday, as Ronald can tell you. The movies Friday and Bad Boys too, both have special places in my heart.

 

Ronald young Jr.  02:56

All right, so y’all are one to one. It’s funny. We’re going back to a lot of our matches, where people have been one to one. We had Tyler Perry go to Nich in the first match, and then we had Wendy Williams go to Jonquilyn in the second match. What’s your strategy this time? Well, who’s the latest loser? The latest loser is Nich. What’s your what’s your strategy this time?

 

Nichole Hill  03:19

My strategy is to stand firm in my beliefs, to go hard for the better film, which I know to be coming to America. I don’t think it’s going to be too hard.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  03:29

Fighting.

 

Ronald young Jr.  03:30

Okay, Jonquilyn. What is your strategy this time?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  03:36

We’re pitting two baddies against each other. But, I think mine may have a longer Brazilian bounce way.

 

Jacqueline Hill  03:49

It might be a little longer on this one. We’ll see.

 

Nichole Hill  03:53

Also, I should be clear, what are we debating? The comedic quality (overall quality)? Talk to me about what it is exactly?

 

Ronald young Jr.  04:03

I don’t like this your third time on the show, and you’re like, what exactly are we debating?

 

Nichole Hill  04:07

Because this is the comedic quality of it.

 

Ronald young Jr.  04:10

Nichole, you’re like setting yourself up for a loss right now, because you should just be like, ‘bar none’.

 

Nichole Hill  04:16

I’m happy across the board, but I want everyone listening to be clear on what they are listening for.

 

Ronald young Jr.  04:21

Okay, I see what you’re saying. You’re trying to refine the point so you can make sure that you made yours. I love this setup in the beginning. They’re just going head to head, man. Listen Nich, whatever strategy you need to win, use it. But if you want to get more, if you want to narrow the strategy of the debate, I encourage you to do that during the debate. With all of that being said, Are y’all ready to fight?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  04:43

Let’s do it.

 

Nichole Hill  04:44

Let’s go.

 

Ronald young Jr.  04:45

Jonquilyn, let’s start with you. Why is Friday better than coming to America?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  04:51

Okay, this is pitting two baddies against each other. They’re both very funny. Both technically could be buddy comedies. I think Friday sticks out for two reasons. One, I think it might be our first black stoner comedy, where it’s just the goofiness of it all. I feel comfortable saying, Kiki one of them days would not be possible without Friday. I also think that the big thing it has over coming to America is how quotable it is. Now, coming to America very quotable. I’m always talking about, “She’s your queen to be”. I seen that to myself, not infrequently, but everything from like, “Hi, Miss Parker. Bye, Felicia”. Bye, Felicia was everywhere. Why people got a hold of that? It’s Friday. You ain’t got nothing to do. Big perm, A.K.A Big worm. You got knocked out, like it from start to finish. There are so many quotes from Friday that we us in our day to day lives. It’s almost kind of like The Wizard of O  that way, where it’s just so ingrained in the culture that at times, you don’t even realize you’re quoting it. And I think that is the major thing that Friday has over coming to America.

 

Ronald young Jr.  06:07

Okay. I like that. You’re going with a more quotable argument. Nichole Hill, coming to America is better than Friday.

 

Nichole Hill  06:16

Coming to America. One, it is a more complete film. Act One, act two, act three. We’ve got a task we’re trying to achieve, and we just focus on achieving that task all the way through the film. As we go along that task, I would argue that Coming to America is much more quotable, the songs are extraordinary, and just the act of dropping a mic. What that has done for the whole entire culture? I mean, it’s just transcended anything that in and of itself. I think their commitment to comedy all throughout physical comedy. There’s some drag in there that today we would look upon with less enjoyment.

 

Ronald young Jr.  07:07

Less favorably.

 

Nichole Hill  07:09

But, there’s just a commitment to performing comedy at every single form. But, the thing that it most hasover Friday is that at the helm of Coming to America, we’ve got two stand up comedians who understand timing. That movie moves, the jokes are just like sharp, they’re tight. Whereas in Friday, we have a comedian and a rapper, actor guy. So the comedy at times, it just like the pacing gets very odd and slow. Chris is having to do so much to keep it up and to carry all the comedy on his own, but it spread out so well and so evenly in Coming to America. The casting in Coming to America next year, they’re gonna start giving out casting Oscars. This one needs it. Everyone was in it. They gave everybody a shot, even the B characters were mattered eventually. So I just think overall, it’s just a betterstructured, better paced, better casted movie. I won’t say better casted, because Friday is phenomenally casted, but I will say more visionary casting. They pick people who eventually would become massive stars.

 

Ronald young Jr.  08:20

Okay, so let’s talk a little bit about. So, the reason why we’re pitting them against each other is because these are two movies that are kind of pillars within the black community. I’m going to ask a question. Nich, I know you like this question. What type of black is coming to America?

 

Nichole Hill  08:38

Oh, no! My question even turned on me.

 

Ronald young Jr.  08:44

No, I know you got it.

 

Nichole Hill  08:46

Coming to America, it is a suburban black comedy. It is following a very traditional, conventional form. It has learned how to survive and adapt in a world that is not its own and tell stories to people who are not exactly like them. So, they’re translating everything really well, but it’s also very black still. And we’re all still dealing with really black things. We’re playing around. We’re taking I love that they had a church scene, but they didn’t put it in church. They put it at the black awareness meeting, and we all understand what it is. It’s even structured like a church meeting. So that’s how you could tell, like, “Oh, this is really,really black. But then the format of, like, “I’m a prince, I want to fall in love. Very Cinderella – esque, very Jasmine and Aladdin coded, that’s for everybody. But then the barbershop, that’s for us.

 

Ronald young Jr.  09:38

Okay? Jonquilyn. What type of black is Friday?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  09:43

Friday, ain’t no buster. That is the genre that I would give it very like West Coast working class which makes sense, because […] Ice Cube wrote and produced it. I believe, that’s his first like film credit doing that, which sort of we’re gonna ignore some of the Ice Cube has been on lately. We’re gonna ignore that,but it really cult catapulted him to sort of like, “Yes, I’m a rapper, but also I do film – I write, I produce, I act, and even like enough so that he was able to have his son step into that acting role too. But, I would say it’s very like salt of the earth, very slice of life, very much like, “If I’m visiting my cousin who lives in L.A, it’s gonna have that same feel. Friday isn’t around the way, girl.

 

Ronald young Jr.  10:41

We’ll be back with mor Pop Culture Debate Club after this break.

 

Ronald young Jr.  13:20

Let’s talk about quotability. Nich, like Jonquilyn said, Friday is more quotable than coming to America. How would you talk about the quotability of coming to America with regard to that specifically?

 

Nichole Hill  13:33

I think that the singing. I really do think that the main thing that Coming to America […]. It’s just on Soul Glo […]. The way that they took the music, like the silly songs, but that are actually so good because they’re just, like sticking your head, and they just work for different settings. This isn’t an original song, but when he’s like “To be loved, to be loved”, all of that, it just works. So, I think that when you take the musicality of the quotes in Coming to America, they evoke a call and response kind of situation. They invite us all in, in a way that is so special and unique and better.

 

Ronald young Jr.  14:26

Let me ask you a question, Jonquilyn. When you think about the fact that Friday came out in 1995 Boyz n the Hood came out in 1991. Can you talk about the importance of putting out a movie like Friday after something like Boyz n the Hood. I believe Juice came out before Friday as well. The movies that we wereseeing black men in was like Boyz n the Hood, or a Juice, or any of those before we get to Friday. Why is Friday important in depicting a show about black men in the hood doing whatever? But in this case, not necessarily being subjects of gun violence, even though gun violence does come up in Friday aswell.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  15:05

Yeah. If I’m thinking of Ice Cube’s discography. Friday is more of the “today was a good day of it all”.  I think that’s the beauty of it. Yes, there’s all of this pain and trauma of being a black person in America, being a black man in America, being a black man growing up in the hood, living in the hood of America. But, there’s also like mundane joy. I feel like the mundane joy and the side antik. Though your lower stakes side antics is really important to display, because it just shows sort of like the breadth of the human experience, like, “Oh, yeah, drama, murder, shootings”. But like, “Sometimes you owe a guy money and you get into high jinks”,  try to fix it. Also, you have a crappy girlfriend and a crush on another neighborhood girl. The lady who lives across the street is kind of hot, and you watch the antics take place in your neighborhood. It’s also, community focused – both these films are, which I think is the appeal of them. But, just sort of this slice of life in a neighborhood the day to day. I think that’s really meaningful, especially coming off a lot of films influenced inspired by Gangsta Rap, but this was too, butthere are just so many sides that one person can live in one place.

 

Ronald young Jr.  16:30

Nichole, when you comes to Coming to America, how do you think that this movie handles the African versus African American rivalry that kind of exists in America for a lot of black folks versus African folks?

 

Nichole Hill  16:43

When I watched it when I was younger, I was like, “Oh” like, “This is not okay”, because I used to come onTNT, all the time or TBS, one of them. So, it was definitely fodder for a lot of jokes about Africans and what Africa is like and things. But when I watch it as an adult, actually, I feel like it’s less divisive than it has been (I don’t know kind of called). That’s because when they’re in Africa, the comedy that they’re using is so broad and so over the top. They say, “Let’s go for a walk and a zebra runs by, and he pets the elephant”. That is so making fun of what Americans think about Africa. That’s not really making fun of Africa. Everything that they did in there is making fun of the perception of Africa. Then once they get to America, I think that Akeem does this over the top, assimilation in the way that I feel like we’re meant to be people kind of be grateful, be happy, just accept whatever is given to you. And he’s like, “Okay”. You see how ridiculous that ask is of black people, African or otherwise, to just like smile and just take it. Because when you see him do it, it looks ridiculous. He looks oblivious. So, I actually think that the way that they’re playing the comedy as social commentary is less divisive, because it is making fun of the overall view of Africa. And when people make fun of it in America, they look silly because we’ve seen the Africa that he came from, and it’s like, beautiful and royal. The black people America are prettygreedy. That’s not great.

 

Ronald young Jr.  18:28

Yeah.

 

Nichole Hill  18:28

A lot of the black people they encounter are very, very greedy, except for the one kind of light skinned lady. Well, the light skinned man was also a bad guy too.

 

Ronald young Jr.  18:36

Yeah.

 

Nichole Hill  18:37

It’s not great for becoming African Americans, but it’s not so bad. It’s not as bad as people might think. I think if you watch it again as an adult and an understanding of comedy, I find it way less divisive than I had always heard it was.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  18:51

It’s kind of like Pan African in a way things are not now.

 

Ronald young Jr.  18:54

Say more.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  18:56

We live in a time where the diaspora wars are quite strong, and I’m a very vocal like, “Stop fight”. Know that Jonathan Majors Meme like, that’s me. Like, “Stop it, ladies. That’s me”. Even when I tweet about that, people love to get my mentions be like, “They sold your ancestors for a quarter”. And I’m like, “Girl, we’re cousins. Sorry”. There’s nothing you can do to make me hate another group of black people as a whole. Sorry, you’ll never make me hate a corner of the diaspora. And even times when I’m like, “What are y’all talking about on Twitter?”. A thing that I’ll sometimes do. If I see a terrible take on social media, I will often go to that person’s bio, see either the country or the city that they are posting from, and then I look up the unemployment rate of that place. And often I’m like, “Okay, this makes sense. I need to not be upset. I under you are lashing out at a system and not at me”.

 

Ronald young Jr.  20:01

That’s a deep research program.

 

Nichole Hill  20:06

Wow.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  20:06

No, I’m like, “Oh”. I won’t name the places, but there are some places where everyone knows, like, a tweet from South Africa, a tweet from Atlanta, a tweet from Nigeria.

 

Ronald young Jr.  20:16

Yeah.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  20:17

Like, all right. Let me look up the local news and see what’s happening. Often I’m like, “Okay, I understand why you’re tweeting like this. It’s okay, brother.”

 

Ronald young Jr.  20:26

That’s a deep sense of understandingI aspire to get on that level of understanding when it comes to […].

 

Nichole Hill  20:32

Yes.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  20:32

I try real hard.

 

Ronald young Jr.  20:35

Let’s stay in the diaspora conversation. Jonquilyn, talk to me a little bit about Friday and it’s kind of relationship with the view of the hood, because we talked a little bit about it was a good day. But, there is some things about there that feel very stereotypical in a way that it’s presenting to what could be a mixed audience. It could just be a movie that’s not for black people, but white folks are now watching it, saying, ‘Bye Felicia”. So, what do you think? How do you think this movie cares for kind of the lore of blackness as it presents it forward?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  21:05

I think it does a good job of poking fun at it. And clearly, L.A is a child of the great migration. These are the grandchildren/children of people who migrated from Louisiana, and it’s very obvious because that’s how L.A is. But, even just the little nods for instance, I think is it Hector when he comes in the low rider, and bow thing? And I’m like, “I know this. I know L.A”. It is very easy, I guess for audiences who aren’t part of that and have no frame of reference to kind of look at it anthropologically. I think the use of Bye Felicia, and how it became just so played out. It became played out the way many things, they went the way of woke. It went the way of crash out is starting to go the way of things like that.

 

Ronald young Jr.  22:03

Yes.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  22:03

For the time it was in though, I think that you can tell that the creators were making it for themselves and for their own audience, and did not have the idea of, ‘Oh, this is gonna hit the mainstream in mind”. They probably don’t mind the mainstream success at all. But, I don’t think they at any time, probably thought “This is going to make it big and white teenagers are going to quote this”. What was it, 2016?

 

Ronald young Jr.  22:30

Yeah, but they’re not quoting the movie. They’re really quoting other people who are quoting.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  22:34

Yeah, they have no frame. It’s been stripped of all context of all like, have you seen Friday? Like, “Do you even know who Deebo is?”.

 

Nichole Hill  22:46

I feel like a lot of people would have no idea who Deebo is, but they just know the quotes, so they just say it. But, Friday is the series of vignettes about a specific place like, lovingly done. It’s very sad when something like that, which this happens to all culture – just gets stripped down for its parts, because it doesn’t feel like they made it and I’m not defending it, but I’m just saying it doesn’t feel like they made it for everybody. It’s like, “I love my neighborhood. I want everybody in my neighborhood to come to my house and watch this movie and recognize themselves in it. And they did a beautiful job at that”.

 

Ronald young Jr.  23:21

Let’s talk a little bit about the sequels. Both of these movies have sequels. One of them has one. The other one, I see you already making a face, Nich. Let’s talk a little bit. What does Coming to America do for coming to America?

 

Nichole Hill  23:35

Okay, I have to be completely honest here. I don’t engage in sequels unless I have had enough people tell me that they are good as in, bad boys too. I feel that that is none of my business. So, I don’t know anything about Coming to America too or next Friday, I have to say.

 

Ronald young Jr.  23:53

Yeah. I would say, it was meant to be a mark against you anyway, because Coming to America is a garbage movie. So, we won’t even talk about that. Let’s talk about next Friday and Friday after next for you, Jonquilyn. Do you think that they continue a good movie? Or do they feel more like their cash grabsand mining for nostalgia?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  24:13

I mean, probably a mixture of both. To be honest, Friday is the one that I always return to, and next Friday and Friday after next, I’m always like, “Oh, yeah”. I will say what Friday after next has is Katt Williams as Santa which is fun.

 

Ronald young Jr.  24:28

Yes.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  24:28

The talent that’s in it, it’s like, “Oh, we have Mike Epps. We have Katt Williams”. That’s fun. But, the films themselves, it’s a little bit like, “Okay”. Also allegedly, we’re getting like a last Friday, correct? But I don’t know what’s up with that.

 

Ronald young Jr.  24:44

Do you think that when a movie is as classic as a coming to America or Friday, what is the motivation behind making a sequel that, in most cases we know will never live up to the original?

 

Nichole Hill  24:56

We know it never will. But IP, all of this capitalism at the end of the day. So if you like this, then maybe you’ll like that. You didn’t like that, maybe you’ll like this one. I just feel like it’s IP. If I’m being a little generous, then I would say that the creators have more to say. They feel like I could play with it a little bit more. I’m more experienced. I could write it better. I could act it better. I could do something a little better. I want another shot at it. That’s the most generous interpretation I can give. But other than that, Ijust think people are just trying to make money.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  25:28

I was gonna say cash grab. It’s the capitalism.

 

Ronald young Jr.  25:33

It feels that way. But, if you look at something like the bad boys franchise, it feels like they’re building it out enough that I would like to see more adventures of Mike and whatever the other one’s name is, Mike Lowrey. What is Martin Lawrence’s name in this film?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  25:53

That made me so stressed.

 

Ronald young Jr.  25:55

You don’t know his name? I don’t know his name either. Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  26:02

It just Martin to me.

 

Nichole Hill  26:03

I’ll say Martin. Eddie Murphy.

 

Ronald young Jr.  26:08

Speaking of Eddie Murphy. How much is coming to America an Eddie Murphy film vs something else?

 

Nicole Hill  26:17

I think, remembered as an Eddie Murphy film. But if you see the work that Arsenio Hall is putting in. I mean, sex or chocolate? Wait, is he sexual chocolate or he’s the preacher?

 

Ronald young Jr.  26:28

He’s the preacher.

 

Nichole Hill  26:29

You’re right, he’s the preacher. But I think overall, he’s the star of it. But, I think the cast of characters, it is New York. But, it’s not a very favorable or loving depiction of New York. It’s not like, “Yeah, New Yorkers” where it’s at. I think it’s mainly just the cast of characters that he created. I think the film is largely remembered as an ensemble. I mean, it’s largely him in Arsenio Hall, but it’s remembered as an ensemble piece. It’s remembered for James Earl Jones. It’s remembered for all these people that they brought on who got to say something classic and then get off the screen.

 

Ronald young Jr.  27:05

And it’s funny, because you have those same elements in coming to America, and it somehow doesn’t work, which kind of speaks to what y’all was saying about the cash grabbing sequels. But, let’s talk about that with Friday. Jonquilyn, when you talk about something like – Is this an Ice Cube movie? Is this a Chris Tucker movie, or is this something else?

 

Jonquilyn Hill  27:24

Oh, okay. It’s interesting, because I think across we have Ice Cube as our straight man. He is the Keenan throughout the film and there are a variety of kills going on, which is so funny, because now Keenan iskind of weird.

 

Ronald young Jr.  27:38

Yeah.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  27:40

I think of them as Ice Cube vehicles, both for writing and producing and acting. You can’t deny the value of the buddy comedy in it. Ice Cube is kind of like time to reflect. He’s kind of like a mirror. It’s like time toeflect off of all of these funny people, and he’s just the straight guy like where antics and the cast of characters around him are getting into more and more antics.

 

Ronald young Jr.  29:21

We’ll be back with more PCDC after this break.

 

Ronald young Jr.  29:35

Well, let’s close it out like one of your closing arguments. Nichole, closing argument – Coming to America is better than Friday.

 

Nichole Hill  29:42

Coming to America is a better structured movie. Now, let me just say they’re cousins, and I don’t want cousins fighting. They love each other, and we love them both, but if we have to pick one person to pick to get the gold today and one person to get the silver, I believe that Coming to America needs to get thegold because the songs are bangers. The commitment to comedy and the commitment to different forms of comedy is really quite a feat, and because I think the storytelling throughout is just really balanced and complete from start to finish. The third act is the hardest one, because it’s hard to end things. I think the third act of Friday, when we introduce a ton of very heavy themes, is tough. It’s like such a fun movie, up until Felicia gets beat up. Well, no, there’s a gang violence, then Felicia gets beat up. He almost gets taken out, but then he wins and that feels good. What it took to get there really makes you sad, whereas in Coming to America. Although ridiculous, why not just tell her you’re a prince? But it’s like a little bit easier to swallow, so you’re having a more balanced experience, start to finish.

 

Ronald young Jr.  30:54

Okay, I like the closing argument. Jonquilyn Hill, closing argument, Friday is better than Coming to America.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  31:00

Yeah. The thing about that Friday has over Coming to America is it’s realism. Like, yes you’re getting into high jinks. Yes, we have a lot going on in that third act. But, this could be anybody. Again, if you know somebody in your life who ain’t no buster, they probably remind you of someone who is in the movie Friday. On top of that, it’s quotable. It kind of shows the simple pleasures, and also the comedy and just being a regular degular black person in America.

 

Ronald young Jr.  31:29

I like that. These were very good arguments. It’s like y’all been on this show before.

 

Jonquilyn Hill  31:35

We make it real hard for you.

 

Ronald young Jr.  31:37

You really do. Are y’all ready for my ruling?

 

Nichole Hill  31:39

Ready.

 

Ronald young Jr.  31:41

Friday is my dad’s favorite movie, and I didn’t know that my dad is the assistant pastor of my church. He’s been saved for a long period of his life. And it wasn’t until, in the last maybe two, three years, I’ve realized that anytime Friday is on, my dad will watch it, which is now, my new indicator for what people actually like vs what they say they like. Because people will say, like, ‘Oh, my favorite movie”. But then I’m like, ‘But what do you actually watch?” And the truth is, if something is on and if, whether it’s on TBS, TNT, or it’s on streaming – if you click play over and over again, you probably really like that movie for whatever reason, and that is for my dad. So, the first time I watched this movie, it was absent of my dad.I just watched it on my own because everyone was talking about Friday. I didn’t get it. When I watched itwith my dad. One time, my dad’s laughing and having a good time. All of a sudden, it started endearing me to the movie a little bit more, and then I started making the connections and all that, that I really enjoy about this slice of life movie for what it is. It is important to the black community, is important to me, is important to my family, and I actually sat with my dad once and watched the first one. We went straight into next Friday afterwards, which is an inferior movie, but we started watching that. That’s how my dad knows who Terry Crews is. He knows who Terry Crews is because he’s in Friday after next, not because of any of the other things that Terry Crews does, which just gives me a very particular relationship with Friday. I think everything that you’ve said is true about it being vignettes, all of that.Coming to America, I saw coming to America on beta. I saw it with my sister, and I immediately got it from the first time I watched it, I laughed. I laughed when he said, “To be loved, someone to kiss, someone to miss when you’re away”. I love that. The she’s your queen to be in the falsetto, I love that. The royal P is clean, I love that part. There’s so many parts of this film that are just very, especially because I watched this film probably when in maybe 2000, 2001. The remarkable thing about coming to America is that it came out in 1989 and it holds up today. It holds up so well that it would have made sense that coming to America, the sequel to this, should have been a movie that was at least okay. Because if you watch Coming to America again in 2021 when coming to America came out, you watch and you’re just like, “Yeah, I definitely would watch a little bit more of this if they had more”. But, it turns out you absolutely would not, because for whatever reason, all of the same elements were there. But, when you try to play them in context, in 2021 they don’t work, but the 1989 version, still works. The thing that gets me about coming to America is that it’s sharp, it’s well structured and I do not agree with Jonquilyn, when she said it’s a bunch of skits loosely held together by plot. If anything, I thought that was a bit of a reach, because I think that’s what Friday is. I think Friday is a bunch of loose skits held together very precariously by plot. Because especially when we get to that third act and we realize Felicia is getting beat up. I’m like, “Man, for a minute, we were just watching Bernie Mac”. Like, be the preacher, having sex with the neighbor and running out with his pants off, and now we’re watchingdomestic violence? This is a very sharp turn that we’re taking, and while we get to the end and this very violent fight? It’s not like comic violence, like he picks up a brick and bust this man. Are you trying to kill this man? This is amazing. The very serious conversation between Ice Cube and John Witherspoon aboutnot taking a gun out there. The third act problems of Friday, everything that’s quotable about it is in the first two thirds of the movie, except for you just got knocked out. But for the rest of it, it’s very quotable,very slice of life you get to this place. I feel like that’s what one of them days does better than Friday, which is like throughout from beginning to end. Even if it does get a little serious, it doesn’t get so seriousthat we don’t believe, we don’t no longer believe the movie, or we’re no longer tethered in this universe. So, I want to say this, and then I’ll say ruling. I think both of these moviesare very, very important to the black community. I think they are wonderful. I think in most cases, either one is on. I am going to watch it. But I think I, Ronald Young Jr., prefer Coming to America over Friday. I think it has staying power. After at this conversation. I want to go watch Coming to America right now. I’ll watch Friday after or later, but I want to watch Coming to America right now. Therefore, Nichole, you are the winner in today’s debate.

 

Nichole Hill  36:39

I just want to thank God […].

 

Jonquilyn Hill  36:51

Gold platter.

 

Ronald young Jr.  36:54

I forgot about soul glow until y’all. When they got up off that, off the couch in the back, then the grease stains are on the couch. Oh my god, so good. Thank you both so much for being here again.

 

Nichole Hill  37:05

Thank you for having me. This is fun.

 

Ronald young Jr.  37:07

Thanks again to Nichole Hill and Jonquilyn Hill. Thanks so much for listening to Pop Culture Debate Club. This is our last episode for the season. We’re taking a summer break, and we’ll share some of our favorite episodes that you might have missed. So, don’t go anywhere. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get bonus content like Nichole and Jonquilyn discussing their first experiences with Coming to America and Friday. Just hit the subscribe button on Apple podcasts or for all other podcast apps. Head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe. That’s lemonadapremium.com. Pop Culture Debate Club is a production of Lemonada and the BBC. It’s produced by Jamela Zarha Williams, Kryssy Pease, Donnie, Mathias and me, Ronald Young Jr. Our mix is by Noah Smith. Rachel Neel is VP of new content. Our Senior Vice President of weekly content and production is Steve Nelson. Commissioning editor for the BBC is Rhian Roberts. Executive Producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Follow Pop Culture Debate Club, wherever you get your podcasts.