winner55 Of the four films from the mid-'70s that starred Pam Grier in the heroic lead - Coffy, Foxy Brown, Sheba Baby, Friday Foster - this last film is undoubtedly the best - best screenplay, best direction, best production values, and an excellent cast delivering wonderful (campy but restrained) performances. So why is this traditionally given the lowest rating of these films? I suspect that this has to do with the expectations of the fans of the '70s "Blaxploitation" genre. "Friday Foster" toys playfully with Blaxploitation conventions, but doesn't adhere to them. The movie is actually targeted at a developing black middle class that was college educated and both aware of the stereotypes confronting them and ambitious to overcome these. Most enduring Blaxploitation fans now are actually white. politically left, and 40 or older; they secretly enjoy the stereotypes they argue are mocked in Blaxploitation, these remind them of an era when it was easier to deal with social classes rather than individuals.But long after Blaxploitation is forgotten as a genre, "Friday Foster" will be an enjoyable action film. The violence and danger are real enough - and very well paced, but the script and the actors performing it are witty enough to avoid taking any of it too seriously. The political message is still there, but there's no attempt to beat us over the head with it.Finally, it has to be noted that with this film Pam Grier at last came into her own as an actress. While her range is still limited by her age and experience, she has learned to push this range to its envelope and toy with expanding beyond it. Her inflection and diction in delivering her lines, along with her careful use of of her eyes and expression, are subtly rich in wit and focus, revealing as much of the character as the script itself."Coffy," Grier's best known film of that era, is not really a good film, and is not amusing enough as "bad but funny" for multiple viewings. "Friday Foster" is not "bad but funny" at all, it's just a good, well-made, fun action comedy.

happyendingrocks While Friday Foster seems to have the same ingredients that make Pam Grier's other blaxploitation work so much fun, the film ends up really being a case of diminishing returns.For some reason, Friday loses the sex and gore that give exploitation movies their crass charm, and instead amps up the humor and gunfire, neither of which are impressive enough to carry the film through its paces. While appearances from Yaphet Kotto and Carl Weathers certainly lively the party up a bit, fans of Grier's classics will find this outing tepid and disappointing.The action setpieces are more ambitious than those in previous outings, but nowhere near as exciting. Grier shows a knack for chasing baddies in unique vehicles, and an extended car duel featuring Friday in a stolen hearse and a gangbusters scene of her storming the villains' fortress in a milk van certainly add a bit of flair. But this time out, Grier is notoriously absent from much of the gunplay, instead sticking to her rather subdued role as a photographer. Since we've grown accustomed to seeing Pam handing out beatdowns, it's definitely disappointing to see her doing little more than running here.The humor seems a bit forced this time through, and sadly most of it is intentional. There are some great one liners throughout ("Damn, I need a beer!"), but some real groaners amp up the cheese factor and take away from any grittiness the film summons. The energy dims even during the most well-orchestrated bits of action, as in the climactic gun-battle, where automatic weapons rain fire in all directions, but don't seem to hit anyone. The gunmen in this film apparently miss a lot, and this is best demonstrated during a rooftop skirmish where Kotto shoots Weathers 5 times at point blank range, and somehow only makes two bullet holes in him.In the end, the film isn't a complete waste of time, but there's little here that will draw fans back to this adventure instead of revisiting Pam in her defining roles. We know she's a lover, not a fighter. But she can certainly do more fighting than this.

lastliberal Poor Yarbro (Carl Weathers). When attempting to kill Friday Foster (Pam Grier), he catches her coming out of the shower. Can any man focus on the task at hand when faced with all that beauty? No wonder he slips in trying to accomplish his mission.A typical blaxplotation film about an assignation attempt uncovered by our intrepid hero Friday, who just won't quit in her search for truth, justice, and a couple of roles in the hay with Senator Hart (Paul Benjamin) and Ford Mallotte (Godfrey Cambridge). But, it is buddy Colt Hawkins (Yaphet Kotto) who ends up with the prize. Lucky man! Also featuring Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers, and Ted Lange, this 70s trip is just the thing to get the juices flowing. The lovely Pam never fails to delight.

bart-117 Pam Grier is back in action in the big screen adaptation of 'Friday Foster'. Friday Foster debuted in January 1970 as the first comic strip to star a black woman. It was syndicated and featured soap operatic story lines drawn in a realistic style, similar to Mary Worth, and starred an ex- model turned photojournalist somewhat like Diahann Carol.I think a lot of blaxploitation fans have a hard time getting their heads around this movie because it's a different role for Pam Grier than the gritty asskicker she played so well in movies like Coffy. Nonetheless, this film gives Pam an opportunity to show range as an actress. I think Pam Grier is one of the most beautiful actresses in the history of film with real star charisma. It's good to see her getting credit.Although it has the elements of classic blaxploitation - car chases, shootouts - Friday Foster is fun, light hearted comic strip of a film. Definitely see it.