Beauty Shop

I am not black. I am not a woman. I have never had a weave or extensions, and I try to stay out of the ghetto as much as possible.

Yet I got a kick out of Beauty Shop for some reason???

The script itself is not all that strong, but the performances by QL and the rest of the ensemble cast are watchable and engaging.

Props to Kevin Bacon. His outrageous and flamboyant Jorge' is a nice departure from his other roles and he comes across as quite convincing in the part.

The movie only gets 3 stars from me because the storyline is quite conventional and played out. However, for the most part the jokes are funny and the actors deliver them nicely.... so tack on an extra star for that.

While it won't win any awards, "Beauty Shop" is pure mindless fun.

Beauty Shop is a wholesome movie. It is a refreshing change from the negative portrayal of females seen in most movies today. Beauty Shop captures the true qualities of women striving, surviving, and winning against all odds. There wasn't a strong storyline, just a message of how women of all cultures deal with cheating husbands, cosmetic surgery, gender and racial profiling, insecurity, and male chauvinism. Still these women roll with the punches to enjoy each other and celebrate the beauty within.

The underlining theme of the movie is Maya Angeleo's poem Phenomenal Woman, which can be seen in Gina Norris (Queen Latifa), the struggling entrepreneur trying to secure a future for her daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd) a young talented pianist. Particularly colorful characters are "Catfish Rita" (Cheryl Underwood), Ms. Josephine (Alfre Woodard), Lynn (Alicia Silverstone), Darnell (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Jorge (Kevin Bacon). It is has lots of humor, guaranteed to make you smile.

This amusing little movie appeals to a wide range with its comfortable humor, racy but utterly inoffensive conversation, and its roots in Disney-style family values (but for the real world). Queen Latifah does a relaxed and amiable job of tying the film together, and the ensemble cast is sweet and funny. I was impressed with Alicia Silverstone's turn as a geeky little white country girl--it's the first time she hasn't been playing off a well-to-do type and she carries it off. We had a nice relaxing time of it while we were watching, and half an hour later I've forgotten most of it--but that's just fine. Means I can pop it in the DVD player later on, enjoy it, and not remember a word.

This was Booty Shop more than Beauty Shop, and a spin off with a strong cast and a lot of potential was buried in silliness. The Barbarshop films were successful because they were feel good, fun and had a sense of victory for the hardworking father.

This time, we have the exact same sentiments in reverse - mother instead of father, all women stylists except the one guy, all black except the one white girl - except instead of having a white guy who is trying to be a boy from the hood from the outset, we have a girl who forgoes her personality in favour of becoming a black wannabe. So the message from that perspective is that in order to fit in and be accepted one must conform to be just like everyone else. Good for a few laughs, but loses something in the translation.

The standouts here are Kevin Bacon who is outstanding and hilarious as Jorge the not- quite-Austrian salon owner, and Djimon Hounsou, who is charming and catches you with the kindest face in film.

The rest of the cast are average, each actor and actress playing themselves and bringing nothing special to the table.

On the whole, this film is just a shadow of the Barbershop films, basically trying to emulate them frame by frame, except for one important aspect: this film has no plot. No story. it's just a bunch of scenes strung together by the overall premise of a beauty shop owner trying to make it in this crazy world. No story and no Cedric the entertainer and a ton of excessively vulgar booty humour equals a poor (wo)man's Barbershop. I'd save your tenner and wait for the DVD - or better yet, rent the Barbershop films. They're the better bet, as the originals usually are when compared with the clones. 5/10.

VERY mild spoilers.

This movie has some great funny parts. The friends I was with kept saying "where's the plot?" Well, the plot was done in, well, chick-flick style - plenty of relationship touchy-feely stuff, and not much action. But that's what I expected.

For me the strength of the film was in the development and interaction of the characters. The writers spared no silly jokes in virtually any conversation - which is why I wanted to see the film in the first place.

Kevin Bacon as a fake German gay hair-salon owner was a bit disappointing; when we actually saw him try to work he didn't seem to know anything about the how to do hair - which contradicts the premise of his character. He could have been a competent hair-dresser and still been a total jerk.

Queen Latifa, as usual, was wonderful, witty, funny, delivered her lines perfectly, and simply knows how and when to do things just at the right moment. I'm sure the editors, director and others also deserve credit for her performance, but she shines in whatever she's in.

OK, I don't mean to make this out to be a great movie; it isn't. It's entertaining, touching and funny - but it's mostly just "there" and doesn't really move me beyond the moment. When it was over I was ready to go home.