"Barbershop" is a movie about those who give haircuts, and it's about as boring as getting a haircut. Despite a cast of memorable characters, several wholesome laughs and a few touching soliloquies, this picture needs to trim the incessant chatter and cut to the chase.
"Barbershop" is a nice little movie with a nice little story. Set in southern m n Chicago, the film paints the portrait of a day in the life of Calvin (Ice Cube), who struggles to keep his family's barbershop business afloat. Calvin inherited not only his father's shop but his debts as well, and sees the shop as nothing more than a burden that weighs down his own dreams and ambitions.
But after selling the shop to a slimy loan shark (maliciously played by Keith David), Calvin has a swift change of heart. He realizes that his father's legacy and the lovable crowd cooped up in the shop are worth more than all the money in the world.
While the regulars in the barbershop are endearing, they do tend to fall into rather stereotypical roles.
First off there is Eddie (deftly played by Cedric the Entertainer), a veteran barber who provides inspiring theories on what makes a true barber, as well as some funny comments from the peanut gallery.
Jimmy is a very intelligent and educated barber who uses his knowledge to feed his superiority complex. Then there's Isaac, a white barber who sports all the duds of a modern day rapper and is constantly receiving flack from Jimmy, who accuses Isaac of trying to be black, and not himself.
Terri is a tough-as-nails woman who is angry at the world -- thanks to her two-timing boyfriend -- but deep down, she has a soft side. Ricky is the handsome, street smart ex-con with two strikes against his record -- and despite his bad boy image, he does his best to prove that he has a soft side.
Last but not least is the insanely lovable Dinka, yet another barber with a beautiful West African accent, overflowing with a love of poetry and a love for Terri.
Characters aside, the film's greatest flaw is its script. From stereotypes to haphazard plot twists that just happen to save the day, the story is either predictable or implausible -- but never original and intriguing.
The film begins with a sequence involving two bumbling burglars stealing an ATM machine -- which feels entirely out of place in a film about friends, family and haircuts. Yet the entire film is constantly interspersed with scenes involving these same two burglars ( who we know nothing about and who have no relevance to the barbershop) trying to crack open the ATM machine. The scenes are not funny and they become even more irrelevant after we discover there isn't even any money in the ATM machine.
Furthermore, there is no pacing or driving force to the story. The characters and the story are introduced, Calvin sells the shop and then there is nothing but pointless chatter -- occasionally amusing, but mostly without substance. While the story line drags to a near halt, the laughter, gossip and casual social commentary continue.
This reflects the fact that "Barbershop" is, put simply, a nice movie. Ice Cube and the ensemble give endearing performances of human beings just trying to get by in a harsh world. And indeed there are some memorable laughs and some touching moments, but nothing really provocative. This is the type of movie to see on a lazy Friday afternoon when you have nothing better to do.
However, this film does not wow you with fantastic imagery, it does not captivate you with the compelling drama, it does not cause the moviegoer to stop and think -- this movie simply does not push the envelope. Despite the endearing portrait of a lovable group of barbers and their trials and tribulations, "Barbershop" is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill comedy, and should be seen with low expectations.
