(Photo by MGM/courtesy Everett Collection)
Ice Cube Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
We’re ranking every movie starring Ice Cube! We start with his Certified Fresh films, including his early, high-impact debut Boyz N the Hood, both Jump Streets, and comedy Barbershop. The next two Barbershop sequels didn’t do as well with critics, but the franchise made a clean comeback with Next Cut in 2016. The stoner opus Friday is Fresh on the Tomatometer, and though Next and After Next are Rotten, they both acclaimed via the Audience Score.
#1
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and thematically rich, Boyz N the Hood observes Black America with far more depth and compassion than many of the like-minded films its success inspired.
Synopsis: Tre is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles, in tough South Central Los Angeles. Although his hard-nosed father
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#2
Critics Consensus: Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War.
Synopsis: Just after the end of the Gulf War, four American soldiers decide to steal a cache of Saddam Hussein's hidden
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#3
Critics Consensus: Heartfelt, thought-provoking, and above all funny, Barbershop: The Next Cut is the rare belated sequel that more than lives up to the standard set by its predecessors.
Synopsis: To survive harsh economic times, Calvin and Angie have merged the barbershop and beauty salon into one business. The days
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#4
Critics Consensus: A smart, affectionate satire of '80s nostalgia and teen movie tropes, 21 Jump Street offers rowdy mainstream comedy with a surprisingly satisfying bite.
Synopsis: When cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) join the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances
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#5
Critics Consensus: Boasting even more of the bromantic chemistry between its stars -- and even more of the goofy, good-natured humor that made its predecessor so much fun -- 22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that improves upon the original.
Synopsis: Although they made their way through high school successfully, an investigation at a local college brings big changes for undercover
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#6
Critics Consensus: Told with grit and verve by the Hughes brothers in their feature debut, Menace II Society is a gangland epic that breathes with authenticity while steeped in style.
Synopsis: After growing up in the gang lifestyle of the Los Angeles projects, 18-year-old Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner) wants a way
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#7
Critics Consensus: The Book of Life's gorgeous animation is a treat, but it's a pity that its story lacks the same level of craft and detail that its thrilling visuals provide.
Synopsis: In the Mexican town of San Angel, Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoë Saldana) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) have been friends
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#8
Critics Consensus: Besides bringing on the laughs, Barbershop displays a big heart and demonstrates the value of community.
Synopsis: A smart comedy about a day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Calvin (Ice
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#9
Critics Consensus: Rampart sends viewers plummeting into a nihilistic hell of its protagonist's creation, yet Woody Harrelson's performance in the central role is too magnetic to dismiss.
Synopsis: In 1999, Officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson), a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, tends to follow his
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#10
Critics Consensus: What Friday might lack in taut construction or directorial flair, it more than makes up with its vibrant (albeit consistently crass) humor and the charming, energetic performances of its leads.
Synopsis: It's Friday and Craig Jones (Ice Cube) has just gotten fired for stealing cardboard boxes. To make matters worse, rent
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#11
Critics Consensus: The High Note doesn't quite soar above rom-com formula, but audiences seeking some comfort viewing should find themselves solidly in harmony with this well-acted genre entry.
Synopsis: Maggie is the overworked personal assistant to Grace Davis, a superstar singer whose talent and ego have reached unbelievable heights.
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#12
Critics Consensus: Trespass pits public servants against gangsters in a race for stolen loot -- and thanks to a killer cast and Walter Hill's assured direction, the audience wins.
Synopsis: Firefighters Vince (Bill Paxton) and Don (William Sadler) venture into gang-infested territory to find gold that's been hidden inside an
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#13
Critics Consensus: The humor is less sharp and more warm-hearted this time around, and the characters are enjoyable to revisit.
Synopsis: This sequel to the 2002 film returns to the Chicago barbershop owned by Calvin Palmer Jr. (Ice Cube). His employees
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#14
Critics Consensus: The Glass Shield struggles under the weight of its worthy themes, but emerges as a flawed yet powerful look at systemic racism in modern America.
Synopsis: Rookie cop J.J. (Michael Boatman) is the first black officer in his squad. Befriending fellow outsider Deborah (Lori Petty), J.J.
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#15
Critics Consensus: xXx: Return of Xander Cage should satisfy fans of the first two installments, but its preponderance of set pieces can't quite make up for a tired storyline that fails to take the franchise -- or action fans -- anywhere new.
Synopsis: After coming out of self-imposed exile, daredevil operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) must race against time to recover a sinister
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#16
Critics Consensus: It's hard to fault Higher Learning's goals; unfortunately, writer-director John Singleton too often struggles to fit his themes within a consistently engaging story.
Synopsis: In John Singleton's powerful portrait of college life in the 1990s, a group of incoming freshmen at Columbus University --
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#17
Critics Consensus: The Longshots means well, but it's a largely formulaic affair, rarely deviating from the inspirational sports movie playbook.
Synopsis: Curtis Plummer (Ice Cube), a down-on-his-luck former football player, becomes the new coach of the Minden, Illinois, Pop Warner football
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#18
Critics Consensus: Anaconda's pulpy pleasures are constricted by its own absurdity, but creature feature fans may enjoy its brazen silliness.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez) is traveling deep in the Amazon jungle looking for a forgotten tribe. Terri and her
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#19
Critics Consensus: There's a worthwhile message at the heart of Lottery Ticket, but it's buried under stale humor, tired stereotypes, and obvious clichés.
Synopsis: Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), an ordinary guy living in the projects, wins a $370 million lottery. Unfortunately, the claim office
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#20
Critics Consensus: A sloppy, poorly directed action-comedy, All About the Benjamins is too derivative and gratuitously violent.
Synopsis: Bounty hunter Bucum Jackson (Ice Cube) teams with the small-time con artist, Reggie Wright (Mike Epps), that he is pursuing,
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#21
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Single mother Diana Armstrong (LisaRaye) takes to sliding down a stripper pole in order to pay for college -- and
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#22
Critics Consensus: This Friday installment is more shapeless and stale than its predecessors.
Synopsis: Finds Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) back in the old neighborhood where it all began. It's Christmas time
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#23
Critics Consensus: Fist Fight boasts a surplus of comedic muscle but flails lazily, and far too few of its jokes land with enough force to register.
Synopsis: On the last day before summer vacation, high school teacher Andy Campbell tries his best to keep it together amid
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#24
Critics Consensus: John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is not one of Carpenter's better movies, filled as it is with bad dialogue, bad acting, confusing flashbacks, and scenes that are more campy than scary.
Synopsis: Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people
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#25
Critics Consensus: Silly and noisy, Torque is stylish fun for the MTV crowd.
Synopsis: When biker Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) discovers some motorcycles filled with crystal meth, he stows them away. But it turns
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#26
Critics Consensus: Next Friday lacks the fun of the original Friday. The movie is messy and plotless and relies on unfunny vulgar gags.
Synopsis: Craig (Ice Cube) bails his friend out of trouble, survives a climatic confrontation with Debo, the neighborhood bully, and ends
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#27
Critics Consensus: Kevin Hart's livewire presence gives Ride Along a shot of necessary energy, but it isn't enough to rescue this would-be comedy from the buddy-cop doldrums.
Synopsis: For two years, security guard Ben has tried to convince James, a veteran cop, that he is worthy of James'
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#28
Critics Consensus: Even more absurd and implausible than the first XXX movie, State of the Union is less inspired and technically competent than its predecessor.
Synopsis: When the government finds out that a group of terrorists has infiltrated its ranks, and the group is being trained
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#29
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Friends Black (Master P) and Blue (Anthony Johnson) are broke, but they think they've found their big break when they
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#30
Critics Consensus: Ride Along 2 presents a cop-comedy sequel whose well-matched stars can't break the law of diminishing returns -- or lock up a script that unabashedly steals from the original.
Synopsis: Rookie lawman Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) aspires to become a detective like James Payton (Ice Cube), his future brother-in-law. James
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#31
Critics Consensus: This supposed family comedy staring the usually blameless Ice Cube and Nia Long has provoked most critics to write, "Is it over yet?"
Synopsis: Attempting to win the favor of the newly divorced Suzanne (Nia Long), Nick (Ice Cube) offers to accompany her children,
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#32
Critics Consensus: First Sunday may have its heart in the right place, but its funny bone is dislocated.
Synopsis: Petty thieves Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) face a big problem: The two must come up with $17,000
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#33
Critics Consensus: Are We Done Yet? plays it way too safe with generic slapstick and uninspired domestic foibles.
Synopsis: Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) decide to move to the suburbs to create a better life for children
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#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Thirteen years after his anti-apartheid activism forced him to leave South Africa, Vusi Madlazi (Ice Cube) returns home for his
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96%
77%
46%
