Making the Cut... Sort of
The sequel to last year's surprise hit Barbershop, Barbershop 2: Back in Business is an amiable mess filled with fun characters and more plots than The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But, even as flawed as it is, the movie sort of works.
Returning in the second outing is star and producer Ice Cube as Calvin owner of Calvin Jr's Barbershop, literally a sort of everyman's philosophical salon on the Southside of Chicago. Having solved his money problems from the first movie, Calvin and his rough-around-the-edges crew have been enjoying life as the center of the tight knit multi-ethnic (though predominately black) community. That is until developers plan to take over the neighborhood, opening a variety of high-end stores including the chain barbershop Nappy Cutz—the black person's answer to Supercuts as the movie's heavy Quentin Leroux (Henry Lennix) explains to Calvin. What follows is a messy and sometimes ham-fisted series of events that hinges on Calvin having to make a crucial decision about what he values most.
Though marketed as an ethnic comedy, Barbershop 2 has great crossover potential. The humor is a bit heavy on black stereotypes, but not offensive to any audience. In fact, the movie's sharp-tongued Sophocles, Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), is a breath of fresh air in the world of the politically correct. Don D. Scott's script portrays a vibrant black community with strong families and good, caring friendships. Conflict is not a question of race, but of ego, which is particularly focused in the rivalry between white barber Isaac (Troy Garity) and former thug Ricky (Michael Ealy).
The problem with the movie isn't the characters, but its plot, which focuses too much on the conflict between Calvin and the faceless developers who threaten to destroy his community. Several romantic sub-plots, including a series of flashbacks showing the opinionated Eddie's back story, are dispensed with in one or two scenes. This is unfortunate, because the strength of the movie is in the interactions of the characters and the insular world of the barbershop. One bit of business with the hair cutters devising an impromptu musical performance with the tools of their trade is inspired. And the flashback scenes are also handled with a deftness that other parts of the movie lack.
The developer plot wears thin about halfway through the movie, though Calvin's big speech about balancing progress and community is quite strong and sophisticated for a comedy. And the ending is equally as nice. But the picture's parts just don't really fit together. For every good scene there are about three that play like any other TV sitcom.
The acting, overall, is good with Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Garity, and Ealy as the standouts. Eve as female barber Terri and Kenan Thompson as Kenard turn in the weakest performances. Thompson, in particular, harkens to the kind of stereotyped image that, for the most part, Barbershop 2 avoids.
If you are looking for a movie that has its heart in the right place, this is the movie for you.
Returning in the second outing is star and producer Ice Cube as Calvin owner of Calvin Jr's Barbershop, literally a sort of everyman's philosophical salon on the Southside of Chicago. Having solved his money problems from the first movie, Calvin and his rough-around-the-edges crew have been enjoying life as the center of the tight knit multi-ethnic (though predominately black) community. That is until developers plan to take over the neighborhood, opening a variety of high-end stores including the chain barbershop Nappy Cutz—the black person's answer to Supercuts as the movie's heavy Quentin Leroux (Henry Lennix) explains to Calvin. What follows is a messy and sometimes ham-fisted series of events that hinges on Calvin having to make a crucial decision about what he values most.
Though marketed as an ethnic comedy, Barbershop 2 has great crossover potential. The humor is a bit heavy on black stereotypes, but not offensive to any audience. In fact, the movie's sharp-tongued Sophocles, Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), is a breath of fresh air in the world of the politically correct. Don D. Scott's script portrays a vibrant black community with strong families and good, caring friendships. Conflict is not a question of race, but of ego, which is particularly focused in the rivalry between white barber Isaac (Troy Garity) and former thug Ricky (Michael Ealy).
The problem with the movie isn't the characters, but its plot, which focuses too much on the conflict between Calvin and the faceless developers who threaten to destroy his community. Several romantic sub-plots, including a series of flashbacks showing the opinionated Eddie's back story, are dispensed with in one or two scenes. This is unfortunate, because the strength of the movie is in the interactions of the characters and the insular world of the barbershop. One bit of business with the hair cutters devising an impromptu musical performance with the tools of their trade is inspired. And the flashback scenes are also handled with a deftness that other parts of the movie lack.
The developer plot wears thin about halfway through the movie, though Calvin's big speech about balancing progress and community is quite strong and sophisticated for a comedy. And the ending is equally as nice. But the picture's parts just don't really fit together. For every good scene there are about three that play like any other TV sitcom.
The acting, overall, is good with Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Garity, and Ealy as the standouts. Eve as female barber Terri and Kenan Thompson as Kenard turn in the weakest performances. Thompson, in particular, harkens to the kind of stereotyped image that, for the most part, Barbershop 2 avoids.
If you are looking for a movie that has its heart in the right place, this is the movie for you.
