Barbershop is a
unique and individual approach that creates an ultimately worthwhile character
study. It has an excellent script with well-written jokes, and I enjoyed it;
though found several pieces of the puzzle to be missing when the credits
started to roll. The film would’ve benefited by only taking place in “the
barbershop”, and leaving the stupid and unnecessary scenes chock-full of ATM
robberies, the constant smashing of fingers, and fat people jokes out.
African-Americans will be able to enjoy this movie wonderfully, but I had a
hard time getting involved in the comedy, though I will admit that the jokes
were surprisingly intelligent.
The story starts as
Calvin (Ice Cube) inherits a barbershop from his father who had recently
passed away. He is much more strict in running the salon than his old man used
to be though. His dad died in debt because he gave away too many free
hair-cuts and bottles of shampoo, more basically described as too kind for his
own good. Calvin makes a vow to himself not to repeat the same pattern. When a
rich man, Lester the Loan Shark, wants to buy the barbershop for $20,000 and
turn it into a gentleman’s club, Calvin gladly accepts; but when his
conscience starts to get to him, he realizes how important the old shop was to
his father and the generation before that. Calvin tries to buy back the
barbershop before the designated closing date, but Lester says that he must
pay him forty grand to get the place back. Will he be able to get the get the
money to pay for the shop? Only time will tell.
I find Ice Cube’s trip
quite amusing. In the movies, he is an extremely likable guy, even though he
cusses at least every four seconds (though in Barbershop he does not to
keep it at PG-13 rating). But his music is about the most controversial and
hated subjects, that people have constantly insulted him for. His character in
the movie, Calvin, is nothing but a confused and mindless young person, but
more importantly liked by everyone; but the songs he sings are the most
hateful pieces I have heard yet, next to Eminem’s. His music discusses rape,
murder, and about anything else on the wrong side of the sun. I really wonder
what type of guy he is in real life. Does a movie or a CD show his true
character?
I hate Cedric the
Entertainer in a way that words can’t describe. Not for personal reasons, I
just don’t think that he’s funny. In Barbershop, he plays Eddie, the
old veteran stylist that had worked at the hair salon since it opened; yet
somehow manages to never cut anyone’s hair and still get paid. He constantly
blabs off about fried chicken, Rosa Parks, and other black movements. The
jokes that he presents might be funny on the street, but I certainly didn’t
laugh at them. On the television show Ebert and Roeper and the Movies, Richard
Roeper proclaimed that he laughed endlessly at more than twenty jokes in the
film; when I watched it I kept waiting for some laughs to come, but they never
did.
Barbershop is
entertaining, but needs a more spunky approach to its material. The movie has
great acting and a good screenplay, everything is all good, except there is
one problem – the plot never peaks. This works as a low-key flick to make you
feel good, though it really never takes off. My best recommendation is to rent
it on video.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews
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