Barbershop (2002)

Great Film overall

Expected more

Captivating movie !

Best movie ever!

Barbershop is one of those films that you try hard to like because there are some really good things about it. The cast puts in good work and the chemistry between actors is strong, there are some funny moments, it gets the urban atmosphere down, and it even has a good amount of heart and a nice message about community. But with "A Day in a Life" film, there needs to be something fresh or at least a strong connection between the intertwining subplots. This is where Barbershop falls short. The subplots in the film are not only weak, but feel as if they could have been apart of any other movie. The whole film also feels rather like watching several episodes of a television sitcom cut together instead of an actual movie and it really is felt by pushing the runtime beyond 90 minutes. While there are funny moments in the film, most of them never go beyond a chuckle and there are a handful of cringe-worthy moments as well. The moments when the film truly shines are when the entire cast is in the same room playing off one another. Just seeing all the areas where Barbershop shines makes it all the more frustrating to see it's potential be wasted on a lame story and messy script. It has it's moments, but it's a overall a mediocre dramedy that doesn't have enough of a cut.

Star-studded African-American comedy set around a day in the life of a barbershop owner who is losing his shop due to money problems. The banter in the 'shop is fun and entertaining but generally racial in nature and so dated, or at least a little tired. I used to love this film, about fifteen years ago, but it doesn't bear repeat viewing now. The Indian and West African characters are rather stereotyped for humour, which doesn't really wash to UK audiences now. Ice Cube plays everything straight but everyone else is comedic, and it seems like everyone had fun filming. Cedric the Entertainer is brilliantly funny, when is he not? and Eve is a nice counterbalance to all the blokes in the shop. Anthony Anderson is the main comedic turn as a bumbling and accident prone crook - before his Law and Order days - but there are lots of other familiar faces such as Sean Patrick Thomas, Michael Ealy, Keith David, Jason George and Deon Cole. A giggle in places but not laugh out loud funny, but it used to be. Perhaps you have to be in the right mood.

It's a day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Calvin Palmer, Jr. (Ice Cube) is struggling to find the money to keep open the shop inherited from his father. He sells the shop to greedy Lester Wallace (Keith David) who tricks him turning it into a strip club. Later he changes his mind. JD (Anthony Anderson) uses his cousin Ricky Nash (Michael Ealy)'s truck to steal the ATM across the street. Ricky Nash (Michael Ealy) is one of the barbers with 2 strikes. Terri Jones (Eve) is angry after finding her boyfriend with another woman. The shop is filled with crazy characters both barbers and customers. Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) is an old-timer with no customers. Jimmy James is very particular about things. Isaac Rosenberg is the only white barber and Dinka is secretly in love with Terri.This is a fun group of characters. There are some great comedians and a actors at work. There are some fun conversations and good comedy. Cedric the Entertainer has some great lines and gives the movie its heart. F Jesse Jackson! Anthony Anderson is quite funny in his side of the movie. He has many hilarious scenes and one with Lahmard Tate about $5. This is a terrific comedy with heart.

Part Michael Shultz's "Car Wash", part Kevin Smith's "Clerks", part Robert Altman's "Five and Dime", Tim Story's "Barbershop" is an intermittently interesting comedy revolving around a band of African Americans who gather at a South Chicago barbershop to work, chat, hangout and gossip.Forget the film's tired plot; that's just there to hold things together. All that matters in a film like this is that the characters we're forced to hang out with are a likable bunch, and along these lines the film works well. There's barbershop owner Calvin (Ice Cube), local gangster Lester, and Eddie, a funny old timer played by Cedric the Entertainer. The rest of the cast are a colourful assortment of West African poets, small time crooks, no-good boyfriends, racially insecure white boys and East Indian shop owners. Like the aforementioned films, this loosely structured comedy is less about plot than it is about lazily hanging out with a jovial ensemble cast. Cedric the Entertainer steals the show as an opinionated black man who bashes everyone from Rodney King to Rosa Parks.7.9/10 – Worth one viewing.