Review for the Week of 2/8:

     ‘Twas last Sunday morning, and I had seen Barbershop 2 the night before. I drove down to the place I’ve always gotten my hair cut at (Kidz Cutz is the name, though they take customers of all ages). The exercise seemed regular. Stacy was the name of the woman giving me a trim; with a snip and a snap, she was finished, and I was headed back on home. We exchanged a few words during the process, but nothing special. She asked me typical (and probably required) things like “How old are you?” and “Where do you go to school?”— that was all. However, in the barbershop moviegoers know, a good conversation accompanies the process of getting one’s hair cut. It makes all the difference in allowing the experience to be as pleasant as possible.

     I might, in fact, try going to a real barbershop next time I have my ears lowered, but I doubt that I will run into anyone who is as lively as the characters in this movie. Barbershop 2 is basically a rehash of the first film (check my review of that one for a proper introduction to the background of the story), with some sweet extra baggage. Despite the fact that I actually wanted the first film in the series to have less plot, the additive method used here works, in its own way. The structure of this sequel is much different than that of the original film, but the writing is almost as charming. However, I couldn’t help but long for many more scenes in the good ‘ol barbershop, when the movie came to a close. In a sense, this makes me appreciate Barbershop much more, for it had a greater abundance in these fabulous skits. (Now, I’d score it a full bucket higher than I originally did, bumping the rating up to a three-and-a-half).

      Beauty Shop, starring Queen Latifah, will be released later this year, and will tell the story of the barbershop’s neighboring parlor. I’m certainly interested in it, but I’d much rather see a third installment in this series. Despite the first two films’ obvious flaws, they’re undeniably enjoyable and wonderfully crowed-pleasing. I, honestly, don’t think that multiplexes would be the same without them.