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The crew is back in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a sequel to the original comedy smash hit. Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, and Leonard Earl Howze. they're all still there in Calvin's shop, this time with Queen Latifah joining the fun as Gina, a stylist at the beauty shop next door. They're cutting hair, creating a sense of community, and having their signature Barbershop discussions - outrageous, explosive, and hilarious. The world changes, but some things never go out of style - you can still say anything you want at the barbershop.
Take a seat, sit back, and get ready for another haircut: Calvin opens up shop once again in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a sequel to the original comedy smash hit. Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, and Leonard Earl Howze – they’re still cutting hair and cutting up in Calvin’s shop on the South Side of Chicago, with Oscar-nominee Queen Latifah joining the fun as Gina, a stylist at the beauty shop next door, and Kenan Thompson stepping in as a rookie trying to earn his clippers.
Intent on "regentrifying" the South Side, a money-hungry corporation is moving into the community with coffee bars, video stores, and a big-name haircut chain, and the area’s "mom and pop" establishments are in danger of losing their hometown advantage. While juggling changing situations, new loves, and looking for ways to better their lives, Calvin and his crew have to take a stand to keep the South Side and its businesses in the family. And of course, the crew still has time for its signature Barbershop discussions – outrageous, explosive, and hilarious. The world changes and so do hairdos, but some things never go out of style – you can still say anything at the barbershop.
In Barbershop 2: Back in Business, customers still come into Calvin’s South Side barbershop to get a haircut, and they walk out with an earful of anything from politics to sports to a blow-by-blow account of somebody else’s business. Every community has a place where people congregate to exchange stories, laugh, seek guidance, or just hang out – Calvin’s shop is one of those places.
Movie Review
"Their Ebonics are full of Gin & Tonics, indeed. This right here is considered a Bangah! A rare tip of the scales: Back in Business is as good as or better than the first verse. That’s as true as Julius J. Carry III is cool, my (Pepsi-Cola)! "
The first Barbershop was a pleasant surprise, an easygoing comedy that had its ear turned toward the community and its heart in the right place. The sequel doesn’t surprise us – we know what to expect by now – but that doesn’t make the visit any less pleasant.
Because movies are filmed months in advance, though, the topics tackled in the barbershop’s open forum are dated. Rants regarding the D.C. sniper and Bill Clinton might have fit better in the first film, which came out two years ago. The old material eventually gives way to new challenges for barbershop owner Calvin Palmer (Ice Cube) and his faithful crew of haircutters.
Quality Land Development promises change to Calvin’s Chicago neighborhood. The company is buying up established businesses to make room for a Kinko’s, a Starbucks, and a Blockbuster. Calvin doesn’t mind change, but balks when a Nappy Kutz, the SuperCuts of black hairstyles, moves in across the street. How can Calvin compete?
Barbershop 2 answers that dilemma and improves on its predecessor in the process. It’s smarter, funnier and doesn’t need to pause every fifteen minutes to make way for a slapstick ATM heist. Ice Cube almost helps us forget the debacle that was last month’s Torque. Even Eve, so one-note in the first film, gets to bat around an emotion or two this time out.
Don D. Scott, who helped write the first Barbershop, drops us right back in the film’s natural flow. The sequel upgrades in the director’s chair with the hiring of Kevin Rodney Sullivan (How Stella Got Her Groove Back), a competent storyteller with a knack for guiding an ensemble cast.
Barbershop 2 doesn’t take a little off the top but lets its vibe grow out, which allows for deeper character development, interesting subplots and a worthy backstory for the franchise’s most engaging character, Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer). Flashbacks explain how he found a safe haven in the barbershop back in the 1960s. He witnessed turning points in America’s social history through the shop’s front window – even participated in a few indirectly.
While Eddie looks back, Barbershop 2 looks forward. Queen Latifah introduces us to Gina, the head of a neighboring beauty shop. Her comedic tirades lay the groundwork for a spin-off movie, Beauty Shop, which is scheduled to hit theaters later this year. Deleted scenes, outtake, and two commentary tracks are foremost among the ton of extras on this DVD release. Recommended. - B. Alan Orange
 Production notes provided by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. |
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Barbershop 2: Back in Business