“Barbershop” follows a day at a southside Chicago neighborhood barbershop. The shop was left to a son by his father, a well-loved local icon. We quickly learn that it serves a purpose much greater than simply cutting hair.
The barbershop is the social hub of the neighborhood it serves. It is where men come to talk, discuss politics, meet their neighbors and gossip. The barbershop is, in the words of its oldest employee, “the only place that a black man can be a man.”
Its visitors and employees are a cross-section of the neighborhood. There are old and young, single and married, immigrant and local, college-educated and newly paroled; but in the shop they are just guys shooting the proverbial sh*t. The barbershop is indeed something much greater than just a place to get a shave or a hair cut.
The film follows a day in the life of Calvin (Ice Cube, “Friday”), undoubtedly one of the most talented and underrated actors of our generation. Calvin is young, with a pregnant wife and big dreams, and has fallen behind on his bills. Creditors harass him, so he decides to sell the barbershop to a local loan shark who plans to turn it into a strip club.
In the morning, Calvin doesn’t care — he simply needs the money. However, as the day passes, he begins thinking about his customers and employees in a new light. He sees the significance of the barbershop through the eyes of customers and employees alike. His deceased father was made the same offer and refused. The importance of the shop dawns on him, and he resolves to save it.
The real strength of this film is its many diverse characters. They do not fade into the anonymity of a chorus or become simply parts of the background. Instead, each is complex with his or her own personality. Given the number of characters in the movie, and the movie’s short duration, this type of extensive character development is quite an accomplishment.
Terri Jones (Eve, “XXX”) is the only female barber in the shop, tough as nails but with a soft side brought out by a recent immigrant from West Africa who leaves her flowers and poems by Pablo Neruda. Jimmy James (Sean Patrick Thomas, “Save the Last Dance”) is a college student at Northwestern who is constantly looking for opportunities to showcase his education.
There is a two-time felon afraid of his third and final strike, and a white barber who can’t find a customer. And Eddy (Cedric the Entertainer, whose eponymous television show recently premiered on Fox) is the oldest employee — a link to the past both in terms of African-American history and Cedric’s father. He teaches the younger barbers and clientele a thing or two about the haircutting trade, and serves as a mentor to his young boss.
Of course, this movie is not just a character exploration. It is also very, very funny. The banter is witty and cute. Cedric the Entertainer’s comedic timing is impeccable, and his knack for portraying hysterical caricatures is as good as ever.
The situational comedy is set from the beginning. Two neighborhood kids wage an epic battle against a stolen cash machine in their attempts to get in it.
Underneath this comedy is a biting social commentary and a seriousness not often seen in the genre it presents itself as. There are moments of this movie on par with Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing.” One sees a forgotten neighborhood take on a life of its own, becoming a character in and of itself. One sees how these neighborhood businesses do something much greater than simply make money.
Director Tim Story (“One of Us Tripped”) is ambitious in the scope of his project. He creates an entertaining movie that nonetheless serves a purpose. He attempts the hard task of conflating comedy and drama without attempting to descend into melodrama. In the end, he presents us with a richly detailed portrait of another day at the “Barbershop.”
GRADE — AB
