Barbershop 2: Back in Business Release Date: February 6, 2004 Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Queen Latifah, Eve, Garcelle Beauvais, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity, Kenan Thompson Directed by: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 2/12/04)
It’s business as usual for Ice Cube’s Barbershop 2 — and that’s not such a good thing. The sequel to 2003’s unexpected and rousing hit offers a lot of the same elements that made the original so enjoyable, but the humor doesn’t have the same freshness.
A lot of familiar faces return to their barber chairs. There’s pragmatic shop owner, Calvin (Ice Cube); outspoken semi-curmudgeon Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer); tough-girl Terri (Eve); and stylin’ white boy Isaac (Troy Garity), to name just a few. Once again, Calvin’s shop is being threatened — this time by a chain called Nappy Cuts, which plans to open a sleek, affordable salon right across the street from Calvin’s South Side Chicago barbershop. And it looks like Calvin’s business won’t be the only casualty. Gentrification is on its way, and it’s pitting corporation vs. neighborhood. I.e., Starbucks vs. Calvin’s Coffee Shack.
Barbershop 2 does attempt to introduce new elements to its game, such as black-and-white flashbacks, which take us back to the shop in ’70s Chicago, and which reveal more about the shop’s history and the character played by Cedric the Entertainer. The larger-than-life comedian still delivers the funniest lines—the sharpest jabs and cuts—when you can understand him. His slurry mumble is often incomprehensible, lessening the fun when his character gets into a verbal sparring match with Queen Latifah, who joins the cast as Calvin’s ex, from the beauty salon next door. Queen Latifah is good, as always, but what is she doing here? Besides setting the scene for her spin-off film, Beauty Shop, that is. Her character doesn’t have much to do with the story line. Another new arrival is Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), who pops in as Cube’s cousin-in-law, an eager-beaver barber-school grad with dubious skills.
Barbershop 2 tries hard, but the routine feels a little too familiar. It’s like getting a trim when what you really need is a new style.
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