Themes: Underdogs, Fighting the System, Workplace Romance
Main Cast: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Kevin Rodney Sullivan steps in to direct the urban comedy sequel Barbershop 2: Back in Business. The whole gang -- Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), Jimmy James (Sean Patrick Thomas), Terri (Eve), Isaac (Troy Garity), Ricky (Michael Ealy), and Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze) -- are still there in the same old barbershop in the south side of Chicago. Owner Calvin Palmer (Ice Cube) tries to keep his family business alive in order to pass it on to his own son one day. However, the beloved neighborhood barber shop is threatened by a hair salon franchise called Nappy Cuts. This time around, the old friends are joined by Gina (Queen Latifah) from the beauty shop next door. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
Barbershop 2: Back in Business does everything a good sequel should -- it brings back the characters you want to see, recreates the atmosphere, and tries not to do too much. The first Barbershop was a pleasure because it featured an occasionally volatile cross-section of Chicago African-Americans co-existing in a warm communal setting, but also because it refused to let these characters off the hook, calling them out on behavior that might go unchecked in a lesser film. Playing that devil's advocate voice again is Cedric the Entertainer as Eddie, the salty-haired tonsorial curmudgeon who instigates such racially self-deprecating smack talk as calling the Washington, D.C., sniper the "Jackie Robinson of crime." It echoes a similar passage in the first film in which Eddie denounces Rosa Parks as merely tired, rather than a civil rights pioneer. Unfortunately, the barbershop chatter is less incisive and less frequent than in the first film, and this tepidness carries over to the character arcs as well. Everybody's back from the first film, but they've got less to do and less to distinguish themselves as individuals. Of the new additions to the cast, Queen Latifah is memorable enough to have inspired the distaff third installment of the series, Beauty Shop (2005). Kenan Thompson is also memorable, but for the wrong reasons -- as Calvin's annoying nephew who uses nepotism to score a chair, Thompson sticks out like a sore thumb. Barbershop 2 is a little too comfortable to be as truthful as the first, but as sequels go, it holds up just fine. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Craig Jackson - Art Director, J. Roberts - Associate Producer, Poppy Hanks - Associate Producer, Mary Vernieu - Casting, Jennifer Bryan - Costume Designer, Jono Oliver - First Assistant Director, Kevin Rodney Sullivan - Director, Paul Seydor - Editor, Ice Cube - Executive Producer, Matt Alvarez - Executive Producer, Mark Brown - Executive Producer, Thomas J. Busch - Line Producer, Richard Gibbs - Composer (Music Score), Wu-Tang Clan - Composer (Music Score), Robb Wilson King - Production Designer, Tom Priestley Jr. - Cinematographer, Alex Gartner - Producer, Robert Teitel - Producer, George Tillman, Jr. - Producer, Daniel Clancy - Set Designer, David Obermeyer - Sound/Sound Designer, Kevin Rodney Sullivan - Screenwriter, Don D. Scott - Screenwriter, Richard S. Lederer - Second Assistant Director, Steven D. Williams - Supervising Sound Editor
Barbershop 2 also features what is billed as a "special appearance" by Queen Latifah, who starred in a spin-off, Beauty Shop which was released by MGM in early 2005.
Calvin Palmer, Jr. (Ice Cube) has finally settled comfortably into his role as the owner of the inner city barbershop founded by his grandfather and father. The shop's latest threat comes from overzealous developer Quentin Leroux (Harry Lennix) who opens a rival barbershop across the street, called Nappy Cutz.
While Calvin attempts to figure out how to deal with the coming threat of direct competition from Quentin's flashy establishment, his barbers have issues of their own. Isaac (Troy Garity), the lone white barber, is now the star of the shop, and begins to feel that he deserves star treatment seeing as how he is neglected by Calvin and the other barbers. Terri (Eve) is finding success in managing her anger, but not in dealing with falling in love with Ricky (Michael Ealy) - which it leads to them making out in the back room of the barbershop. But are caught by Isaac which causes them to stop. Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze) is still interested in Terri, but is distraught when he finds out that she loves Ricky instead. Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas) has quit the shop to work for the local alderman; his replacement, Calvin's cousin Kenard (Kenan Thompson), is fresh out of barber school and horribly inept at cutting hair. With the barbershop and other businesses like it under threat from gentrification. Also, Calvin's ex-girlfriend Gina (Queen Latifah) works at the beauty shop next door. The girls have similar conversations and experiences like the barbers. Gina has a bitter rivalry with Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer).
A subplot involves Eddie recalling his time as a young man in the late 1960s, when he first started working at the shop, including the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Also, Eddie remembers his long-lost love (Garcelle Beauvais). Eddie and Calvin also begin to bond over time.
After attempting to change his own barbershop's style and decor to match those of his rival, Calvin speaks out against the neighborhood's gentrification at the local city council meeting in an attempt to stop the changes in their neighborhood. The council doesn't change their mind and continues the project. Terri and Ricky accept their love for one another. Dinka loses Terri but he soon finds love in a stylist at Gina's beauty shop. But in the end, old customers remain loyal to Calvin's barbershop.
Cast
Main
Ice Cube as Calvin Palmer, Jr., The film's main protagonist. He has learned to appreciate the barbershop and is still taking good care of the barbershop after the events from the first movie. When a rival barbershop opens across the street, he tries to keep the shop up to date to match up with the new shop. Also, he is now the father to baby boy named Coley.
Cedric the Entertainer as Eddie, The film's second protagonist. Compared to the previous film, Eddie has a more larger role in the film and is now a major part of the story. This time around, Eddie spends most the film thinking back to the past. Events involving the Martin Luther King assasination and riots, how he first started working at the barbershop, and thinking about a past lover. Over time, he and Calvin begin bonding. Eddie and Gina also have a bitter rivalry.
Sean Patrick Thomas as Jimmy James, a former barber at the shop and aspiring politic. He now works for Lelo Brown who is working with Quentin Leroux, the owner of the rival barbershop. Jimmy is struggling on two major decisions: doing his job with Lelo or remaining loyal to Calvin and his barbershop.
Harry J. Lennix as Quentin Leroux, The film's main antagonist. A wealthy businessman and owner of the rival barbershop Nappy Cuts. He is working with the Alderman on getting the neighborhood changed around which causes the community to rally together. Quentin tries to lure in Calvin but Calvin constantly refuses.
Eve as Terri Jones, Terri is learning how to deal with her anger and stress. She still doesn't like Dinka. She doesn't like the type of women Ricky dates mainly because she thinks they are bad for him and also because she is finding herself falling in love with him.
Troy Garity as Isaac Rosenberg, Everyone has learned to accept Isaac and he is now the star barber at the shop. All the customers admire him but he feels he is neglected by Calvin and none of the other barbers appreciate him.
Michael Ealy as Ricky Nash, Ricky is now on the right path in life and is secretly studying for the GEDs. He is having women issues, and this prompts him to start falling in love with Terri.
Leonard Earl Howze as Dinka, Dinka can't seem to get Terri to like him. He is still friends with Ricky but he is hurt when he discovers Terri loves Ricky instead of him. The ladies at the beauty shop next door adore him because they like how he is a gentleman. There is a beauty stylist at there who has a big crush on him.
Supporting
Kenan Thompson as Kenard, Calvin's irritating cousin. Kenard is fresh out of barber college and is horrible at cutting hair which is the reason why he has no customers. All the barbers (including Calvin) dislike him.
DeRay Davis as Rayford, Rayford still comes around the barbershop hustling. Calvin enlists Rayford's help in redesigning and upgrading the barbershop. Rayford gets most the items by stealing them.
Queen Latifah as Gina, Gina is a stylist at the beauty shop next door. She is Calvin's ex-girlfriend but despite this, they remain good friends. She has a bitter rivalry with Eddie. Also, Gina became the star of her own spin-off film Beauty Shop where Gina moves to Atlanta where her daughter attends a private music school.
Robert Wisdom as Lelo Brown, The film's second antagonist. He is working with Quentin and Jimmy on Nappy Cuts and changing the neighborhood. When he does a publicity stunt at Calvin's barbershop and asks Kenard for a haircut (due to Eddie sending him to Kenard), Kenard ruins his hair by mistake and puts a big noticeable patch in his head and in anger he attacks Kenard. He wears a hat from that point on.
Minor
Jazsmin Lewis as Jennifer Palmer, Calvin's beautiful and supportive wife. She is now the mother to a baby boy named Coley. She was pregnant with him in the previous film. She tries to make sure that Calvin doesn't worry himself too much about Nappy Cuts. She has a smaller role in ths film compared to her more larger role in the previous film.
Tom Wright as Detective Williams, a detective who is friends with Calvin. He catches Calvin and the barbershop crew breaking into Nappy Cuts. He joins the other cops in having fun in the new barbershop. Detective Williams has a very small role in the film compared to his larger role in the previous movie.
Carl Wright as Checker Fred, an elderly man who is a friend of Eddie and the late Calvin Sr., who still comes to the barbershop every day and plays checkers.
Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon as Loretta, Eddie's ex-girlfriend and long lost love. She appears mostly in flashbacks as a young woman and two brief appearances as an elder.
Keke Palmer as a rude little girl who attends the shop's barbecue and is very disrespectful to Eddie. Instead of acting like an adult, Eddie stoops down to her level and this prompts her to run and tell her aunt (which is revealed to be Gina) and causes a roasting match between the two.
