The “Barbershop” franchise continues to grow “Barbershop 2” and now with “Beautyshop,” starring Queen Latifa. Although somewhat conventional and hollow in spots, this picture finds a beat of messages to share subtley and carries high quality joke writing.
“Beautyshop” is about Gina, played by Latifa (Chicago) reprising her role in “Barbershop 2,” a hair stylist who quits her chair with Jorge Christophe, played by Kevin Bacon (The Woodsman), a popular salon owner. Looking to keep her daughter in a pricey performing arts school, Gina gets a small bank loan and buys a salon in an outdated building.
Soon, she meets Joe, played by Djimon Hounsou (Amistad), an electrician/piano player, living upstairs, whom her daughter warms up to. Of course, Gina warms up to him as well, and Joe is suddenly the love interest. Judging by the amount of hooting and holaring the women in the audience were making everytime Joe entered the picture, one could guess our main character would end up with him.
The picture also held a couple of subplots, including the slow acceptance of Lynn, played by Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), a caucasian southerner with a flair for hair. A good friend of Gina’s, also quitting Jorge’s, Lynn isn’t exactly welcomed into a salon filled with African American women. This plot line was very well written and not heavy handed. The development of it was extremely subtle and believable.
Another plotline I enjoyed was the hiring of James, played by Bryce Wilson (Hair Show), who is hired by Gina for his braiding abilities and good looks, to increase the struggling shop’s female clientel. The women of Gina’s spend most of the picture watching James being overly homosexual, even as Lynn develops a crush on him.
The picture’s joke writing was its greatest strength. Story-wise, “Beautyshop” was very familiar and not breaking any molds, but its jokes were new, contemporary and quick qitted, giving the picture is only entertainment value. The movie’s interracial messages were also what lifted this picture into quality, as I said, subtle and believeable.
Latifa strapped on a lot of sass for the role, so of course she delivered fine. Silverstone also did well, but her accent was getting on my nerves at times. The supporting cast of Gina’s stylists held the salon scenes together, including a very funny Alfre Woodard (Heart and Souls), Sherri Shepherd (TV’s Less Than Prefect) and Michelle Griffin (Hair Show), who was very nice to look at. Hounsou also made a nice switch to a different genre.
Bacon was also fun to watch, playing an outlandish character role like Jorge, who I’m sure isn’t too far from reality either. I don’t use styling services, obviously, since I have no hair, but if I were, I would imagine I’d bump into a Jorge at one of these high end salons. Andie McDowell (Groundhog Day) was also cute, but her character was useless.
Conflict in the plot seemed forced at times, and the big secret as to why Gina’s was coming under such fired from the state licensing board was NO surprise. This sets up the picture’s overall production value, funny, but not surprising.
Overall, I didn’t feel bad about seeing “Beautyshop,” but I am more pleased I saw it at a discount ticket cinema. It has laughs and insight, but a lot of guff to weed through as well; a little too much guff for me to give it a better rating.
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