Set in the hood, Next Day Air features a story full of potent elements that never reaches its full potential. I mean we have criminals, delivery guys, violence, guns and cocaine, lots of cocaine. Even the storytelling is decent but something just didn’t click. Not like it clicks with Guy Ritchie movies like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch. I think the biggest problem here are the characters. They are a bit stereotypical and ultimately not very likable. Still, this is an entertaining movie, especially if you like these sorts of stories. And it’s funny too.
Next Day Air is ultimately a movie about an average guy making contact with the criminal world. So, if you’re willing to just go along with the story and not analyze every little detail, you’re going to have some fun with this movie. The pacing is quite fast and we will be fairly soon thrown into the grinder. And I have to admit I’m a sucker for those movies where one little mistake snowballs into a huge clusterfuck. And this is exactly what’s going to happen here. We will be following several different stories all connected by one thing. And I think you already know what’s that thing.
Leo is just an average guy working for a delivery company and doing things all average guys do, smoking weed and chillin’. However, his love of the herb is going to make him make one small mistake. And while the mistake may be small, the events that it’s going to set off are certainly not. They will involve a bunch of unsavory characters, guns, and a lot of drugs.
Never taking itself too seriously, Next Day Air runs on bizarre situations and inept characters who just can’t get their shit together. The cast is pretty familiar and did a good job getting the vibe of the movie right. It was nice to see both Donald Faison from Scrubs and Wood Harris from The Wire working together on something. And I couldn’t help noticing Yasmin Deliz as Chita. She’s not only beautiful but also a very talented actress, natural and charming.
You can feel they were aiming for that Friday vibe with the entire movie looking more like a sequel, Next Friday. So, if you’re looking for more of the same you might wanna check it out. Also, The 51st State, True Romance and Hot Tamale are all good choices.
Director: Benny Boom
Writer: Blair Cobbs
Cast: Donald Faison, Mike Epps, Wood Harris, Omari Hardwick, Emilio Rivera, Cisco Reyes
Fun Facts: Apparently Mike Epps and Omari Hardwick had an altercation on set. Moreover, Epps stormed off the set threatening to get something from his car to resolve the issue. Darius McCrary, another actor on the set managed to calm him down and everything was resolved peacefully.
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1097013/
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