It seems that we didn't have enough "show me as much money as possible" sequels in 2003. It's only about 6 weeks into 2004 and the first cash-cow movie of the year has arrived---not that 'Barbershop 2' is as retched as 'Bad Boys II' or as unfunny as 'Scary Movie 3' or as moronic as 'Charlie Angels: Full Throttle'. I felt affection for this second edition of haircuttin' in the hood and chuckled several times. There's probably going to be yet another movie in this series---we already know there's a spin-off coming soon with Queen Latifah's 'Beauty Shop'---and another night at the movies with these characters is not a bad way to spend your time.
Still, the first 'Barbershop' was bust-a-gut hilarious over & over...which was going to be tough to imitate or surpass. And '2' doesn't live up to its predecessor. This one is often dead serious, sometimes focusing on some difficult issues. The cast is back (plus, Latifah makes an extended cameo) and they do pretty much the same thing again. Cedric The Entertainer has his slurred rants (not as screamingly funny the second time around), the supporting cast get their jibes in, and Ice Cube holds it all together with his likable cool-guy persona. You just can't hate these characters. The way they razz one another comes across as genuine love/hate affection.
Last time, we wondered if Ice Cube was sick of cutting hair and was going to sell the shop. Now the story is about the shop being overrun by a corporate competitor. Who will win the fight? Ooh, the suspense. The script isn't trying to blaze any new trails or win any awards. All the same, it would be nice if they could juice up the comedy while maybe giving this movie a better reason for existing (other than to fill studio pockets). In short, I wanted to like the movie, yet it's not as funny as a comedy with these actors should be.
See this movie with an audience. Half the fun of the first flick was watching it with an enthusiastic crowd. I can't see an audience reacting as uproariously to this movie as they did to the first film, but you might enjoy yourself more if you're surrounded by others. Fans of the first 'Barbershop' should get a moderate-size kick out of this.
Still, the first 'Barbershop' was bust-a-gut hilarious over & over...which was going to be tough to imitate or surpass. And '2' doesn't live up to its predecessor. This one is often dead serious, sometimes focusing on some difficult issues. The cast is back (plus, Latifah makes an extended cameo) and they do pretty much the same thing again. Cedric The Entertainer has his slurred rants (not as screamingly funny the second time around), the supporting cast get their jibes in, and Ice Cube holds it all together with his likable cool-guy persona. You just can't hate these characters. The way they razz one another comes across as genuine love/hate affection.
Last time, we wondered if Ice Cube was sick of cutting hair and was going to sell the shop. Now the story is about the shop being overrun by a corporate competitor. Who will win the fight? Ooh, the suspense. The script isn't trying to blaze any new trails or win any awards. All the same, it would be nice if they could juice up the comedy while maybe giving this movie a better reason for existing (other than to fill studio pockets). In short, I wanted to like the movie, yet it's not as funny as a comedy with these actors should be.
See this movie with an audience. Half the fun of the first flick was watching it with an enthusiastic crowd. I can't see an audience reacting as uproariously to this movie as they did to the first film, but you might enjoy yourself more if you're surrounded by others. Fans of the first 'Barbershop' should get a moderate-size kick out of this.