Barbershop: The Next Cut
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Calvin
and Company Reunite for Sobering Sequel with a Social Conscience
There's
been a big change at Calvin's Barbershop since our last visit over a
decade ago. The once-sacred male sanctuary has been converted to a
unisex salon, and some feisty female employees have brought a new
flava to the former man cave, including manager Angie (Regina Hall),
flamboyant Draya (Nicki Minaj) and cynical Bree (Margot Bingham).
Besides
Ice Cube as Calvin, among the regulars reprising their roles are
Jazmin Lewis as his wife, Eve as Terri, Cedric the Entertainer as
Eddie, Anthony Anderson as J.D., Sean Patrick Harris as Jimmy, and
Troy Garrity as Isaac. The cast also boasts a number of newcomers,
most notably, scene-stealing J.B. Smoove as motor-mouthed One-Stop,
Deon Cole as Dante, and Common whose character, Rashad, is married to
Eve.
As
the film unfolds, we're treated to a montage of file footage
featuring Reverend Al Sharpton and Father Pfleger, as well as news
stories about the uptick in drive-by shootings on the South Side of
Chicago. The situation has left Calvin in a quandary about whether it
might be wise to relocate the establishment to a safer section of the
city.
More
importantly, he's worried about the safety of his adolescent son,
Jalen (Michael Rainey, Jr.), despite the fact the boy is enrolled at
Holy Cross Catholic School. For, on his way home, the kid has to
negotiate his way through a gauntlet of gangstas pressuring him to
join their ranks.
Meanwhile,
street violence seems to claim another young person's life on a daily
basis, with some of it hitting a little too close to home. This
inspires Calvin to host a peace summit in a desperate attempt to
negotiate a ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the Vice Lords and
the G.D.s.
Besides
addressing the escalating murder rate, the picture does devote plenty
of scenes to its trademark levity. One moment, we're treated to an
old-fashioned battle-of-the-sexes. The next, there's a debate over
President Obama's commitment to the black community. And the most
comic relief comes courtesy of trash-talking One-Stop, who has an
endless supply of market items for sale: nickel bags of weed to baby
pit bulls to watermelon-flavored fried chicken.
Directed
by Malcolm Lee (The Best Man), Barbershop: The Next Cut proves to be
a pleasant surprise in that it tones down the campy comedy in favor
of a serious social agenda. Easily the best installment in the
beloved franchise, a movie which manages to entertain while
delivering a sobering message that's long overdue.
Third
time's a charm for Ice Cube & company!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for
profanity, ethnic slurs and sexuality
Running time: 112
minutes
Distributor: New Line
Cinema / Warner Brothers
To see a trailer for
Barbershop: The Next Cut, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2vPDGStL4k
No comments:
Post a Comment