Director Malcolm D. Lee
Genre Comedy
Cast Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Regina Hall, Anthony Anderson
Rating PG-13
Release Date April 15th, 2016
“As their surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, the crew at Calvin’s Barbershop come together to bring some much needed change to their neighborhood.”
The original Barbershop first released in 2002 and received a very warm welcome from critics. Fast forward 14 years and we have the 3rd entry in the Barbershop franchise (is this even considered to be a franchise?), Barbershop: The Next Cut. What I find interesting is the fact that all 3 films have a different director. This I suppose isn’t all that uncommon for other genres of film but I think it tends to be rare for comedies. Malcolm D. Lee steps up to the plate for this entry. In 2013, Lee directed The Best Man Holiday, as well as the lowly and very unnecessary Scary Movie 5.
I was dealing with a whirlwind of expectation and uncertainty when Barbershop: The Next Cut finally released. 14 years after the first film released, my expectations were modest at best but initial feedback for the film had me taken aback to say the least. I found my way to the theater to experience Barbershop: The Next Cut for myself and let me just say it put a big smile on my face. I had a recurring feeling of nostalgia throughout the entire film which was amazing, and to put it in simple turns this is a damn funny movie. Granted it feels very much like a comedic skit with limitless freedom for the actors, but it works. And it works well. I suppose it helps when the majority of the cast has experience in stand-up comedy and general improve. One of my favorite aspects of this belated sequel is easily Lamorne Morris, who plays the cat loving weirdo Winston Bishop in the hit Fox comedy New Girl. He basically plays the same character in Barbershop: The Next Cut and the role fits him like a glove (not like the O.J. glove, this one ACTUALLY fits).
A quality film relies on quality acting, right? At least to a certain extent. Barbershop: The Next Cut includes plenty of acting talent but the real strength lives and dies with comedic actors full of personality that can improvise until the cows come home (that is still a saying right?). Ice Cube sets the tone with his ability to play the serious and somewhat calculated role amongst all of the goofiness around him. As I mentioned before, Lamorne Morris is fantastic. I was also genuinely impressed with Common and he seems to have grown into a very solid character actor. And to give praise to one of my favorite and incredibly underrated actors, J.B. Smoove (best known for his Curb Your Enthusiasm character Leon Black), he was an incredibly effective and hilarious addition to the cast with his character One-Stop. He gets a solid amount of small roles in movies and television including his role as the cabbie in Date Night but he is underused. His talents need to be appreciated!
Barbershop: The Next Cut is undoubtedly one of the feel-good movies of 2016. It has everything we desire as an audience; humor, heart, and creativity. Ice Cube could have pushed for a halfhearted sequel to make some easy cash but he didn’t. Instead he decided to shed some light on the serious issue with violence in the city of Chicago and even though the film is actually filmed in Atlanta, it feels genuine. I visited Chicago recently myself and I really feel that it is a great city that sometimes gets a hard rap. Nonetheless, Barbershop: The Next Cut is quality entertainment and should not be missed.
