I really enjoyed this movie! And these words come from a complete pessimist of black films. I've never truly been fond of sequels but on this rare occasion Beauty Shop is arguably better than Barbershop 2.
The movies have several comparisons such as the ensemble effort and the moral values. Queen trades in Cedric the Entertainer, who played the older, wise yet hilarious barber for a female counterpart in Alfre Woodard. The white barber who couldn't catch a break is replaced by the white hairstylist with the same dilemma. Both films involve the financial hardships of trying to run a business while not being ran out of business. Unlike the original Barbershop films, Beauty Shop lacks the intensity but more than makes up for it with comedy.
And
the movie was funny! How could it fail? The support cast included comedians (or scene stealers) Sherri Shephard, Sheryl Underwood, Adele Givens, Ms. Laura and L'il JJ. But no one could compare with Kevin Bacon's performance as the Scandinavian stylist extraordinaire Jorge. At 50, he still looks like a man in his 30's. And while we're talking about the supporting cast, I can't forget to tell you about Keshia "L'il Rudy" Knight Pulliam. She's grown into a beautiful young woman and she's still a decent little actress. I just hope she doesn't go the dismal way of child stars and end up in the center on Hollywood Squares.
Who knew that when we saw Queen Latifah pushing those chess pieces off that large board in the Ladies First video that one day she would stand out as a gifted actress, singer and comedian. I guess she showed us
