ghonzo

This is a warm-hearted comedy that is quite poignant at times. There were lots of memorable performances in this movie: Eve was really good (a natural talent) and Cedric the Entertainer almost stole the show. But I know what I'm going to remember most about this movie is the complete ensemble ... the barbershop itself becomes the main character here. Even though Ice Cube plays the lead character, it's actually a similar role to his part in Friday -- he's more of a detached observer (or, in the case of Friday, chronicler, pun intended) of an environment rich with vibrant personalities. Now that I know these characters, I'm looking forward to reuniting with them in Barbershop 2.

This turned out to be a surprisingly effective comedy. Okay, sure, you can say that a movie that pokes fun at conjoined twins is in poor taste, but there's nothing malicious about it -- it feels, if you can believe it, genuine.

You really get a sense of the tenderness and the bond that has developed between the two brothers. Of course, as you'd expect from the Farrelly brothers, it's laugh-out-loud funny. As you might not expect, there's not really any gross-out humor: it's more "Hal" than "Mary". If you can't tell, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.

Some gag highlights: Cher with her boyfriends, Matt Damon's stage fright, Greg Kinnear in a animal costume.

Definitely better than it could have been, but this is no Purple Rain. Eminem gives a passable performance, but the storyline is a little too fractured to be satisfying. This film does do an effective job of portraying the depressing circumstances of growing up in poverty near Detroit. Oh, the battle scenes were entertaining.