La bottega del barbiere 2

Although I thought this movie was really funny the first was still better. It was wrapped around more controversy. Also this movie was made for Cedric. He is the central point of the movie. Not that I mind b/c he is a great comedian. Queen Latifah was very underused but it seems that she has her own barber/beauty movie coming out so that will make up for it. I also like the fact that the Barbershop movies talk about real problems with the way society thinks about things. This movie is good and needs to be watched. I own the first and will own the second.

The same crew is back in a sequel to the hilarious comedy about a group of barbers who cut hair and discuss life inside their little barbershop community. Calvin (Ice Cube) is the owner of the barbershop with Cedric The Entertainer as his oldest barber. Queen Latifah has been added to the cast with a beauty shop next door. The south side of Chicago is changing with developers buying up everything and moving everybody out of the old neighborhood. Calvin is about to have new competition from a chain barbershop opening across the street. To fight the new barbershop, Calvin tries to upscale his barbershop with paintings and glass sculptures. Calvin also orders his barbers to be quiet and just cut hair, and stop the tradition of being able to say anything you want inside the barbershop. If you liked the first movie, you will like this one. Some of the discussions are outrageous, especially, the ones with Cedric. I laughed through the entire movie. (MGM, Run Time 1:38, Rated PG-13) (7/10)

I thoroughly enjoyed the original Barber Shop but the sequel left me wondering why I had spent the time watching it. Cederic the Entertainer was brilliant in the original but this time it seemed like someone was holding him back. The lines just weren't funny and there was not any plot urgency to keep the action moving. The music in the original was terrific, this time I couldn't tell you the title of anything that was used. There was practically no character development and the viewer was left thinking why?? The brief scenes with Queen Latifah were some of the best in the movie and I kept wondering why she wasn't featured more. The most telling comment I can make is that I slept through the first hour and still knew everything that happened.

Lukewarm but watchable and laid-back follow-up has shop owner Cube and his rambunctious co-workers enjoying the success of their thriving business, until a new, technologically advanced shop prepares to open across the street. It's run by a smarmy political suit who not only threatens to put them out of business, but has also convinced the majority of the neighborhood inhabitants to sell out as well. First film was likable enough but didn't exactly cry out for a sequel, though there are some occasional laughs. Uninspired script doesn't have much of a story to tell, but it's still well-performed and made worthwhile by an enthusiastic cast, especially Cedric the Entertainer who seems to be having the most fun of all. **

The plot involves a new, hipper franchise barbershop that is moving across the street from Calvin's barbershop. So, he feels like he has to change and improve his shop by getting newer stuff and such. Sounds real exciting huh. As for the rest of the film, a lot of it involves the same material from the first film. The people that work at Calvin's stand around, talk loud, and mouth off to each other and the customers. Once again Cedric the Entertainer was mildly funny, but it is more like he's doing a stand-up routine than anything to do with the movie. And Calvin is faced with another moral issue involving taking a large sum of money. He's already shown that he will do the right thing in the end.

FINAL VERDICT: Nothing new. I don't recommend it unless you thought the first Barbershop was the best thing since sliced bread.