Barbershop: The Next Cut

I actually love this movie. It was good, it was funny, it was interesting! There wasn't a boring part. It had a good life lesson learner for kids. I enjoy the cast of the movie. Everyone did awesome with their acting. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who's looking to see it and was wondering how it was (and I'm not the type of person to go see movies like this!). Great family movie with old school and modern day jokes that's good for all ages. I'd love for it to be an everyday TV show (that's how much I loved it)! So many personalities and situations going on all at once just comes you engaged into it. Go see it!

I am never a fan of comedy movies having sequels and three-quels, very few can pull it off and when I saw the first trailer for this I wasn't excited at all. I ended up seeing this movie out of default. I wanted to see Jungle Book (but my friend wanted to take his boyfriend to see it so this was the only option LOL). I, pretty much, had low expectations going. I was very intrigued all the way through. About an hour in, I whispered to my friend "ummm...this is actually a really good movie."

Of course, like most films, it's not without its flaws but those are more subjective based on the individual's taste. But its nothing that cant be forgiven. There are some corny parts and some of the subject matter was a bit surface level but when it's a family film, I know that there not gonna go to in depth into politics, cheating, gang violence, etc.

What I enjoyed the most about it, is that there was an ongoing story line outside of the theme of the Barbershop. Everyone involved got a chance to shine and you didn't feel like many of the characters were just there. A lot of the social topics that were tackled in each Barbershop scene was very surface level (which is one flaw that I stated before) but it kind of had to be because if you delved deeper than it would have turned into the writers/director trying to force their own opinion on the audience. But it was meant to just open the door for the conversation to continue.

The comedy did what it was supposed to do. There were many corny parts, where I felt like the actors were reaching and there were some parts where laughed out loud.

My main gripe was with Nicki Minaj's character. She just played herself. She wasn't bad, it's just I'd be more impressed with her if she took a role that was the complete opposite of her hand as an artist.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone. It's a fun, family film that is 100% enjoyable if you watch it with no expectations.

Absolutely impressed with how Ice Cube has pushed this franchise forward.

Spike Lee's cousin, Malcolm Lee directs more of a love letter to Chicago (literally narrated by Ice Cube in the film) Than last years Chi-Raq (which I hear Chicago gives no love for)

I hope Chi-Town feels differently about Barbershop: the Next Cut. Despite being filmed in Georgia(according to the peach in the end credits), it is a positive silver lining, Rose growing in concrete type situation, that encourages hope for all African American Neighborhoods (And their local Barbershops)

Ice Cube returns as Calvin, a small business owner trying to keep his head afloat. He does this by merging with Angie who owned a Beauty shop(I don't think it's the same one from the Barbershop spin-off, Beauty Shop). Most importantly he's a father trying to do what is right for his son Jalen, who's growing up in a neighborhood that seems worse now than when he was coming up.

Cedric The Entertainer also returns as old school Barber Eddie, and Eve returns as Terri Jones who has made a success out of herself cutting hair for the rich and famous. The Next Cut also has nice cameo appearances from other Barbershop alum like Sean Patrick Thomas as Jimmy James whose made it all the way up to the Mayor's office, and comes back with the plot of the movie:

The Mayor's office's plans to end gang violence in the community would actually threaten the small businesses in the neighborhood including the Barbershop, so the shop comes up with the idea of making Calvin's a Swiss like neutral territory for all that come for one weekend to get the gangs talking about peace.

Some new blood up in the shop is Common, as Terri's husband, Rashad. Common gave an impressive performance, that was all political, dramatic romantic, and humorous (those are some leading man skills right there). It's interesting that rapper Ice Cube would allow another rapper to outshine him like that (I guess it's OK cause they are just acting).

The movie was a well done political satire on what is going on in the community today, and how much we all need to band together to create positiveness, and it was all done without lacking in the entertainment quality that puts the Barbershop film franchise up there with the Friday movies.

Fantastic Job!

It's an alright third part of the (now) Barbershop trilogy.

Not that very many people actually asked for a third one but yeah it didn't turn out too bad, not as good as the first (which to me is a borderline classic) but slightly better than the second (which to me was just okay).

Not tremendously many surprises to be found, mostly consisting of people discussing various topics in a barbershop per usual. This time though often in a more serious tone as opposed to the previous films where it was mostly about the jokes (and yes black lives matters etc are covered in the topics but not to the point that it gets exhausting they do mix it up a bit).

Most of the old cast have been replaced with new characters, Ice Cube, Cedric and Eve are the only barbers to return in this movie.

Troy Garrity and Sean Patrick Thomas does both show up but they've left the barbershop and only serves as cameos this time around.

Michael Ealy and Leonard Earl Howze (African dude) are nowhere to be found.

The newer recruits are mostly okay though albeit can't really fill the big shoes the original gang left, Common might be an exception though, always found him to be one of the better rappers turned actors. Nicki Minaj mostly serves as eye-candy but it works.

Also JB Schmoove replaces DeRay Davis (who has said not even to been asked to return) as the 'hustle guy', I don't think they are the same character per sé but they don't really differ a whole lot.

Tyga who I'm not really much of a fan of I must admit is pretty good as a gang member in this.

Anyway overall, watchable for sure but if they do a fourth one they have to switch things up a bit more.

'Barber Shop: The Next Cut' is that Hollywood classic, the sequel gone bad. The original was original, witty, joyously coarse and endless fun. This takes the same bunch of delightful performers (Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer and more, including including the splendid J.B.Smoove), and saddles them with a preachment on ghetto uplift. Not only that, there's a side order of gender equality and a dash of the need for sisterly solidarity. The result is that the original movie, which was a delicious guilty pleasure, has been turned into a slow-moving tract of the sort that earnest do-gooders think is hip and persuasive. All in all, this sequel has so much heart it has lost its soul.