Ice Cube’s ‘Barbershop’ is worth a stop
Print Edition
WHEN you come back to a beloved place after many years, sometimes you find all the faces have changed and the vibe is completely different.
Not so with Ice Cube’s “Barbershop.” Though the third film in the franchise comes a dozen years after part two, “Barbershop: The Next Cut” is as colorful and clever as its predecessors. There are some new faces (including Common and Nicki Minaj) and new elements (an attached beauty shop), but the warm energy, subtle social commentary and big-hearted laughs are the same.
Cube returns as Calvin, proprietor of a barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, where he oversees a motley crew of haircutters who spend as much time boasting and bantering as they do snipping and styling. Perpetual scene-stealer Cedric the Entertainer returns as outspoken old-timer Eddie, and Eve is back as sharp-tongued Terri, once the shop’s lone female hairdresser.
But you don’t need any background to be charmed by the chatter at this hangout, where the staff’s discussion subjects range from Kim Kardashian to US President Obama.
Set in present-day Chicago, the film opens with Calvin’s voiceover about the explosion of violence in the city. “The streets are talking,” he says. “They’re tired. They’re angry.” Chicago had the most homicides of any US city last year, and it’s on track to earn that sad distinction again in 2016. More than 140 people have been killed there so far this year.
Calvin worries about how the surge in violence is affecting his 14-year-old son, Jalen (Michael Rainey Jr.), who’s getting into fights at school and considering joining a gang. Calvin is also concerned about the effects on his business, especially when former barber and now mayoral aide Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas) tells him about a proposal to stem South Side violence by building a wall around the neighborhood.
The shop responds by sponsoring a 48-hour cease-fire. They convince two rival gang leaders, both customers, to get on board. But as a tenuous peace takes hold outside, drama continues inside the shop as Draya makes a play for Rashad and Calvin considers moving his family to a safer part of town.
“The Next Cut” manages to address racism, sexism, police brutality and gang violence in a thoughtful way without being heavy-handed. It’s a call for community activism balanced with plenty of playful laughs. There’s also the bonus of seeing Cube bust out some dance moves and Common do an old-fashioned backspin. The two rappers also wrote a song for the film, “Real People”.
So whether it’s your first trip to Calvin’s or you’ve got a standing appointment, it’s worth stopping in for “The Next Cut.”
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