Movie Review: Barbershop

MPAA Rating: R

Stars (Out of 10): 7

One Word Summary: Sitcom-funny

Full Review:

      Barbershop is a day in the Chicago ghetto. It centers on a Barber Shop owner, Calvin, who dreams of something bigger (living in Oprah Winfrey's guest house and having a recording studio in his basement). He's recently inherited the shop from his father, who left it in terrible financial shape. After selling the Barbershop to a local loan shark he begins to realize why it was so important to his father, and why its so important to the community.

    The main reason Barbershop was so funny, was it's characters. The movie follows Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) an old barber with strong opinions on just about everything. Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas), a barber just waiting to get out and do something bigger, he thinks he knows everything. Ricky (Michael Ealy) an ex-con trying to keep clean. Isaac (Troy Garity) a white boy who thinks he's black, (drives a Cadillac Escalade, has a black girl friend, and dresses like he's P Ditty) he's the new barber and can't seem to find anyone who'll let him cut their hair! Then there's Billy and J.D. (Lahmard Tate and Anthony Anderson) who've stolen an ATM machine but are having trouble finding out how to get the money!

    Most of this movie seemed improvised. They put a couple camera's in a Barber Shop, and let their actors improvise. Cedric The Entertainer's offbeat approach to serious issues made for some hilarious scenes. He delivered his slapstick lines perfectly and he had me laughing almost every time he was on screen! I've never listened to Ice Cube's music, and I probably never will... So I consider him an actor. He's not great, but when surrounded by a good cast, he can be funny.

    Barbershop seemed more like a sitcom than a movie. The characters were developed so well and so thoroughly, like in a sitcom. Most of the movie seemed to be character development, it wasn't until later in the movie that the plot started to move.

    I'm not usually a big fan of ensemble casts, sometimes all their complicated do is accomplish a lot of nothing instead of developing a shorter, simpler plot. And frankly, every once in a while they confuse the hell out of me! But Barbershop while following many different plots, from different perspectives, managed to keep it simple and keep it interesting. The plot follows the regular everyday happenings at the Barber Shop, Calvin trying to sell the shop and then trying to buy it back, the stolen ATM, Terri's love life, Calvin's family life, and the guys trying to find the money in the ATM. While following all these plots and all those characters, Barbershop sticks to comedy and its hilarious laugh-out-loud humor.

Conclusion:  

Yahoo! Movies Description:

Comedy

1 hr. 42 min. Calvin (Ice Cube), who inherited a struggling barber shop on the south side of Chicago from his father, views the shop as nothing but a burden and a waste of his time. After selling the shop to a local loan shark, Calvin slowly begins to see his father's vision and legacy and struggles with the notion that he just sold it out. The shop is filled with an eclectic cast of characters that share their stories, jokes, trials and tribulations. Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) is an old barber with strong opinions and no customers. Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas) is a highly educated barber with a superiority
complex who can't stand Isaac (Troy Garity), the new white barber who just wants a shot at cutting some hair. Ricky is an ex-con with two strikes against him and is desperately trying to stay straight. Terri (Eve) is a hard-edged woman who can't seem to leave her two-timing boyfriend. Then there's Dinka, a fellow barber who is madly in love with Terri but doesn't get the time of day.