A warm, endearing comedy about a day in the life of a barbershop owner (the genial Ice Cube) who operates his business on Chicago's South Side. The film takes pains to identify the barbershop as a cornerstone destination for black men where they can speak their minds without fear of retribution. The discourses are led by the overly opinionated elder barber Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer, using his character's age to baffle you with his loose comic timing) who spouts nonsensical, incendiary remarks about twentieth-century black historical figures (Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks) but who, late in the film, becomes the film's conscience. Though it isn't nearly as uproarious as it tries to be and there's not enough dramatic tension until the end, there's a casual likeability that's hard to resist, with actors that are eager to please and director Tim Story keeping things interesting with some unusual framing. The screenplay, by Mark Brown, Don D. Scott and Marshall Todd, has enough profanity and innuendo to give caution to parents of pre-teens but the film's core values are wholesome and dignified.
Review of Barbershop
