Barbershop: The Next Cut Movie Review

I've talked before about how the best comedies out there (Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Deadpool, for instance) are the ones that go all out and are off-the-wall, 100% over-the-top goofy, but sometimes, a comedy doesn't need to be the absolute best. Sometimes, a comedy just needs to be a casual, sentimental, relaxing comedy where people can just be straight-talkers, and that's exactly the kind of experience audiences got out of 2002's black comedy, Barbershop, a film about a man trying to decide if he wants to sell his barbershop or keep it for his buddies on the south side. The film featured an all-star cast as well as some light-hearted comedy, so naturally, it became a big hit, which resulted in a sequel as well as a gender-reversed spinoff, neither of which sprung any kind of heavily positive response (and neither of which I have personally seen). So, the franchise was put to rest for a while until just last week when the gang returned for another round of more (ahem) cutting-edge comedy, and while it may appear unfamiliar in certain ways (Trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about in a sec....), it holds up as one of the better comedies of its kind.

The film once again follows Calvin, played by Ice Cube, who still runs a barber shop on the south side of Chicago with his buddies, including Eddie, played by Cedric the Entertainer, Rashad, played by Common, Jerrod, played by Lamorne Morries, among others. They're all concerned about the rise of gang violence in the area, fearing for their families' safety, fearing for their futures, and fearing that the government won't take the right actions to help them out. Calvin is so concerned that he's thinking of moving the shop up north, as well as sending his son to Catholic school. As for the rest of the barbers, they propose to gang leaders in the area that they cease fire for 48 hours in exchange for free haircuts during that period for anyone who walks in.

So, as you can tell, there's a lot more focus on dramatic, political elements here than there was in the first movie, making this less of a comedy and more of a dramady. While that may shut out a lot of hardcore fans of the first film, I honestly felt it fit in exceptionally well and doesn't detract from a lot of the comedic elements from the first film. Cedric the Entertainer still delivers a lot of laughs, you still get a lot of that straight talk with no limitations.... Nothing's really missing; the film just decided to look at a few more serious elements. Part of what still keeps it together is Ice Cube as Calvin; he's no Chiwetel Ejifor or Denzel Washington, but as the protagonist that we're all supposed to relate to, he keeps a pretty straight face among all these comedy stars, allowing the dramatic elements to flow naturally.

My consensus? For fans of the first film (as well as the sequels I still haven't seen), Barbershop: The Next Cut definitely worth a look.

My rating: