Review of:Barbershop (2002)
Director:Tim Story
Rating:PG-13 for (for language, sexual content and brief drug references
Starring:Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve
There has been a time in most of our lives when we have visited the Barbershop. To the casual observer the barbershop is just a place where you get your haircut up into the latest style. If you make it a habitual occurrence in your life the barbershop becomes something a little more. That is the premise behind the movie Barbershop. The barbershop is a central part of the neighborhood representing what a Wal-Mart would in many communities. The barbershop is the cornerstone of the business district.
Ice Cube stars as Calvin Palmer who aspires to change his lifestyle and the way that he makes money. He is the owner/operator of a barbershop that resides in the south side of Chicago. The barbershop has been in his family for over forty years. Calvin is dissatisfied with the direction that his life has taken since being involved with the shop, and is hoping for a change. Grounding Calvin in reality is his beautiful, pregnant wife Jennifer Palmer (Jazsmin Lewis). She speaks to him from a part of himself that he is leaving out of his decisions, his heart. At the barbershop he is joined by a collection of barbers who bring their own flavor to the community. Cedric the Entertainer plays as Eddie the old time barber who never seems to have anybody in his chair, but has seen everything there is to see (with an opinion to boot). Eve stars as Terri Jones who is only looking for a man that can stop playing the game, and be honest with her. Sean Patrick Thomas plays as Jimmy James the college man who seems to be using the job as a stepping-stone to better things. He never seems to be able to let the other barbers forget how much education that he has also. Troy Garrity stars as the white barber who has more soul than he is suppose to possess, while Ricky is a two time convicted felon who is trying to keep his nose clean. Rounding out the cast is Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze) who just wants to find love, preferably with the beautiful Terri.
With so many different characters and the problems that they are going through in there lives being examined you would think that they wouldn't be able to work it all in by the end of the film. They do an admirable job though as we examine, not with a fine toothcomb, but with a big rake everyone's problems. The focus of most of the film is on Calvin (Ice Cube) who is dealing with a store that he feels is taking up the time he should be spending on his other endeavors. With no big time money coming from the shop he is ready to commit to another business investment. He makes a deal with a loan shark (Keith David) that effectively takes the barbershop out of his hands, and out of the community before he knows what he has lost. While just watching the patrons, and the interaction that is going on at the barbershop he finally gets what this spot means to everyone else, and even to himself. The question is can he rectify the situation?
While this story is developing the comedy of the cast almost steals the show. You will crack up with the comedy of Cedric the Entertainer as he basically goes off on every issue that has a taboo around it. Even Martin Luther King ends up taking hits from this barber.
Director Tim Story puts all of these many elements together and makes a family film that is very clean by todays standards. The film gives a sense of history to a culture without excluding other cultures from the learning process it is trying to convey. Many different backgrounds are portrayed and they basically work in harmony. If only the real world could take some lessons from this film. The film is commendable, funny, and worth your time.
