Barbershop

Likable, engaging story about the day-to-day operation of a black barbershop in downtown Chicago. The plot centers around Calvin Palmer, an average Joe but promising young barber who inherited the family-owned shop years earlier from his late father and his attempts to save the shop from foreclosure, even if it means agreeing to an offer from a miserly neighborhood loan shark. Cast is appealing and enthusiastic, the story interesting and well-intended, but it's let down by bickering characters, uneven comedy, and a few distracting subplots. A decent way to pass the time, and a good change of pace for lead actor Cube, but it's never quite as on target as it needs to be. **½

An uneven but mostly entertaining comedy/drama, "Barbershop" stars Ice Cube as Calvin, the owner of a neighborhood barbershop that has been passed down in his family through the generations. Of course, it's more than just a barbershop; it's a cornerstone, where you go to laugh with friends and find out what's happening in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay the bills, and Calvin, tired of barely scraping by, decides to sell the place to a local loan shark (Keith David).

The movie covers the events in and around the barbershop on the day Calvin sells it, changes his mind, and spends the rest of the day trying to get it back, along with several other sub-plots involving other characters in and around the shop (the most interesting being played by Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, both terrific actors).

Whenever the movie stays in the barbershop, it's usually a lot of fun, with some good, entertaining dialogue and witty interplay between the many characters (both barbers and customers). However, the film frequently cuts to an annoying and mostly unfunny sub-plot about two bumbling crooks (Anthony Anderson and Lahmard Tate) trying to break into a stolen ATM machine. This is almost entirely unrelated to anything else in the film, and even though it connects with the main plot at the end, it still feels like dead weight that could have easily been entirely cut from the movie.

This is a good movie, full of heart and worth checking out just for the performances by Cube and Cedric, as well as the good tunes on the soundtrack. It just has a few too many dry stretches and the irritating ATM sub-plot, which holds me back from whole-heartedly recommending it.

BARBERSHOP (2002) *** Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer , Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity, Anthony Anderson, Michael Ealy, Leonard Howze, Keith David, Jazsmin Lewis, Lahmard J. Tate, Tom Wright. Uproariously funny comedy set in the eponymous hangout set in Chicago's South Side with Cube as the owner of the establishment where a colorful cast of characters chill and gossip with the subplot concerning the long-suffering proprietor deciding on selling the joint altogether. The laughs come fast and furious largely due to scene-stealer Cedric as the senior haircutter with a razor sharp tongue. (Dir: Tim Story)

I thought this was a pretty decent flick. I laughed out loud at least twice, which is OK, because this film is not really supposed to be hilarious, just sardonic, mostly. Cedric the Entertainer was good, but not truly believable as an elderly man. Ice Cube turned in a quite good performance. In some of his previous films, I had thought he was pretty good, but rather one-dimensional. ("Anaconda" "Three Kings") Here, he definitely extends his acting range enough to be taken seriously. And wherever the one-named "Eve" came from, she nailed her character. There's a lot more to this movie than the controversial lines from Eddie (Cedric). It was interesting to see some black characters be aware of, and concerned about, the pathologies in the black community. But I guess this is spoken of only in barbershops, or elsewhere away from whites. Overall, definitely worth a look. Grade: B+

Thanks Ice Cube. You did a great job in creating and showcasing a part of African-American life that was true-to-life. There were so many diverse elements that all came together, they seem too many to mention. But all of the main characters had a measure of character development and an intimacy that you couldn't forget.

Even the minor characters played a big role, such as Lamar (J. David Shanks). Though introduced briefly very early in the movie, he played a major- but again brief- role near the end. Minor character- major input. The robbery of the convenience store: five characters interwoven all with lessons to learn- Craig (Ice Cube), Ricky Nash (Michael Ealy), Detective Williams (Tom Wright), Samir (Parvesh Cheena) and, of course, JD (Anthony Anderson). The timing in various scenes were impeccable. The following sequence: the radio voice of Chicago deejay Howard Magee, Billy's mother (?), Gabby (Jasmine Randle), Billy (Lahmard J. Tate) and JD was wonderfully choreographed.

I know some will say, "Hey, it was predictable. I knew beforehand the resolution of some, most, or all of the character's plights." And that may be true. But it's the manner in which each character was interwoven- how one touched another and yet criss-crossed each other that gave this movie special meaning. How each character had their strengths or weaknesses to overcome. Great stories being told by Mark Brown, Don D. Scott, Marshall Todd and with Tim Story's direction. Every major character was (and is) a character study.

Terence Blanchard does an admirable job supporting the scenes with his score.

And regarding the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks controversy, the writers qualified that diatribe very clearly as it progressed. Did people hear just want they wanted to hear?

Another important feature that I admire was the honesty, sometimes brutal, on other issues such as foreigners owning businesses in the African-American community or how dangerous it can be for anyone living in certain parts of the "ghetto" or how we (yes I'm African-American) help keep each other from prospering.

It wasn't until I started viewing "Barbershop" a second time (and dissecting it) where I saw additional insightful and valuable revelations. An example being Hustle Guy (DeRay Davis). (Dogs and Pampers?) Many times we see the local hustler as a comedic tool, hustling whatever he/she can get their hands on. But he's only trying to earn a living- void of a storefront for lack of investment capital. And we find out how valuable Hustle Guy is, also, before the movie ends. Minor character- major message.

If you haven't seen it, see it. If you've seen it, and just saw it for it's entertainment value, see it again for some valuable lessons.

Not only will it be in my movie collection, but it will be used as a teaching tool for my grandsons (and granddaughters if I'm blessed with any).

Believe it or not, to me, Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer's character) was the most unbelievable. Not that Eddie wasn't valuable, because he was. It was Cedric's interpretation of Eddie and the lack of age lines on his face that was a pure turn off for me. For those reasons, I wanted to remove 1 point. But because of the strength of the other characters and the story, I'm keeping it a 10.

The 7.1 rating as of this writing is an injustice to the quality and caliber of this production.

I give it a $10.00 haircut plus a $5.00 tip.

Great job Ice Cube to you and your production company, Cube Vision. Great job.