I'll never do it again, but at least I lived, and have a story to tell.
But that's for another day. I'm here to talk about the movie. Black Friday is a horror comedy about zombie-like hive-minded creatures attacking retail outlets all over what has to be Illinois (Schaumburg is referenced) on Black Friday. I don't know what the big deal is, as these monsters don't behave a whole lot different than Black Friday shoppers do in general, knocking people down, beating them and eating their flesh, but I digress.
These creatures have some sort of goal, though. Their hive minds have them creating something. Something pink and awful.
The store this film is centered around is called WeLuvToys and the employees thoughts on the matter of toys varies and do not necessarily correspond with the name of the establishment they are working for.
It's a motley bunch, consisting of Devon Sawa as our main character. Sawa was never a big youth star but led several big named films such as Final Destination and Idle Hands, and in his youth even did a fairly intense Lifetime film called Night of the Twisters. (Yes, I did write the last part of that sentence). As he's reached his 40's, he's actually a fairly compelling screen presence, which shows here and in other films like the terrific Hunter Hunter. He holds this down fairly well.
You have Ivana Baquero (who was Ofelia in Guillermo Del Toro's masterful Pan's Labyrinth), young Ryan Lee, and Stephen Peck who all acquit themselves well here, especially considering the light weight of the material.
Martial Arts Legend Michael Jai White (who could have really been used a lot more and to greater effect) and Bruce Campbell (who needs no introduction) round out the cast.
The practical effects are nicely done by OG Robert Kurtzman (he of KNB FX fame), and considering the fact that Bruce Campbell produced this flick, it's no shocker they got Bob involved.
As scary as zombies with an agenda are, the movie really is very funny. I laughed out loud at least 3 or 4 times at dialogue and events, and this is helped by how well these characters are fleshed out from the beginning. They all have identifying and unique personalities and traits and oddly, Sawa in the lead may be the least original of all of them despite his poor man's Matt Damon presence. Some of the dialogue is very sharp, and there's some so quick-you-may-miss-it social commentary sprinkled throughout.
I highly recommend this for Thanksgiving AND Christmas, and due to this film will be adding Dour Dennis to my Christmas List.
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