Themes: Social Climbing, Generation Gap, Faltering Friendships
Main Cast: Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Calvin (Ice Cube) never wanted to take over the family business, a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Disgusted with the shop's crime-ridden neighborhood, and caught up in his moneymaking schemes, one morning Calvin decides to sell the shop to the shady Lester (Keith David). Chastised by his pregnant wife, Jennifer (Jazsmin Lewis), for his rash decision, Calvin spends the day cutting heads at the shop, and starts to understand the importance of the legacy his grandfather and father have left to him. The bickering barbers include Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), the old-timer with his own unique perspective on black life; Terri (rapper Eve in her film debut), a hot-tempered woman with a trifling boyfriend; Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas), a college educated snob; Ricky (Michael Ealy) a reformed criminal; Isaac (Troy Garity, the son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden), a white B-Boy, whom no one is ready to let cut their hair; and Dinka (Leonard Howze), a recent African immigrant who's too shy to express his feelings for Terri. Calvin learns to appreciate them all, and discovers that the place where they work is more than just a place to get a haircut -- it's a meeting place for the neighborhood, a place where folks can speak their minds and find out what's happening. Calvin gradually changes his mind about selling the shop, but it may be too late. Meanwhile, a bumbling thief, J.D. (Anthony Anderson) spends a painful day trying to crack open the ATM he's stolen from the grocery store across the street. Barbershop was directed by Tim Story and produced by George Tillman Jr. and Robert Teitel, the producers of Soul Food. Barbershop had its world premiere at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Barbershop is a genial urban workplace comedy. Director Tim Story keeps things moving at an appropriately bouncy pace, and the cast is energetic and appealing. Barbershop is clearly modeled after Car Wash, and manages to capture some of that movie's low-key, lightweight charm. While the plot tangentially encompasses guns, crime, and overzealous police, the film takes place in a sunny, bright, and essentially tension-free inner city Chicago. In fact, Barbershop could use a touch of the working-class grit that made Car Wash so memorable. There's never any real sense that anyone is working that hard at anything except running their mouths, and never any sense that anything more than hurt feelings are at stake, even when it seems that the entire crew are going to lose their livelihoods due to shop owner Calvin's (Ice Cube) hasty decision to sell the shop to a low-life criminal (played with just the right degree of menace by Keith David). A subplot about an ATM robbery offers a silly, but efficient slapstick counterpoint to the talky comedy at the film's core. While the film makes a noble stab at inclusiveness, featuring sympathetic white and Indian characters, there's a mild, but still disappointing sexism in the way it sometimes objectifies black women. But in the end, Barbershop is a crowd pleaser, which is all that it sets out to be. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Eve - Terri Jones; Michael Ealy - Ricky Nash; Leonard Earl Howze - Dinka; Keith David - Lester; Jazsmin Lewis - Jennifer Palmer; Lahmard Tate - Bill7; Tom Wright - Detective Williams; Lorenzo Clemons - Bank Manager; Dev Kennedy - Detective Williams' Partner; Pat "Soul" Scaggs - Motel Manager; Eddie Bo Smith, Jr. - Crazy Inmate; Marshall Titus - Customer Joe; Cliff Frazier - Customer Kwame; Carl Wright - Checkers Fred; Sonya Eddy - Janelle; Eric Lane - Customer Rodney; Maestro Harrell - Customer Tillman; Vince Green - Waiting Customer; Jalen Rose - Himself; Jason Winston George - Kevin; Kwame Amoaku - Stair Guy; Kevin Morrow - Monk; Marcia Wright - Angry Woman; DeRay Davis - Hustle Guy; Saralynne Crittenden - Big Mamma; Jasmine Randle - Gabby; Naomi Young Armstrong - Grandma; Frank Townsend - Terri's Customer; Scott Dent - Boy; Laura E. Walls - Church Lady; Woody Bolar - Customer Artis; Deon Cole - Customer Darrel; J. David Shanks - Customer Lamar; Leon S. Rogers Jr. - Customer Larry; Jam - Customer Lloyd; Norm Van Lier - Customer Sam; Ray Thompson - Customer Tyrone; Mark Simmons - Customer Rob; Cassandra Lewis - Young Mom; Janina Gavankar - Fine Woman; Olumiji Olawumi - Jay; Satya Lee - Korean Woman; Teara Hill Willborn - Little Kid; Ebboney Wilson - Little Kid; Chester Clay McSwain - Mailman; Steven Simoncic - Officer With Photo; Matt Orlando - Officer; Willie B. Goodson - Officer; Cynthia Maddox - Prison Guard; Montina Woods - Rhonda Watts; Llou Johnson - Salesman; Dana Min Goodman - Cashier; Parvesh Cheena - Samir; Malik S. Middleton - Construction Worker; Toyiah Marquis - Samir's Wife; Cerall Duncan - Kevin's Other Woman; Rhonda Bobo - Ricky's Girlfriend; Tiffany S. Gaji - Cop
Credit
Felicia Fasano - Casting, Mary Vernieu - Casting, Trevor Ward - Consultant/advisor, Tim Story - Director, John Carter - Editor, Matt Alvarez - Executive Producer, Terence Blanchard - Composer (Music Score), George Kohut - Camera Operator, Roger Fortune - Production Designer, Tom Priestley Jr. - Cinematographer, Robert Teitel - Producer, George Tillman, Jr. - Producer, Mark Brown - Producer, Mark Brown - Screen Story, Mark Brown - Screenwriter, Don D. Scott - Screenwriter, Marshall Todd - Screenwriter, David Morenz - First Assistant Camera, Harvey Mason - Musical Performer, Renard Poche - Musical Performer, Chris Severin - Musical Performer, David Young - First Assistant Editor, Colin Slaby - Second Assistant Camera, Ron Wright - Cable Person, Bruce Ahlfeld - Construction Foreman, John Slove - Construction Foreman, Gus Medina - Foley Mixer, Theresa Repola Mohammed - Negative Cutter, David Malley - Production Secretary, John Clancy - Set Medic/First Aid, Carlos Medina Jr. - Set Medic/First Aid, Frank Yario Jr. - Video Assist, Barbara Harris - Voice Casting, Howard A. Anderson Company - Title Design, John Berlin - Title Design
At the time of its release, the various artists collection containing music from the motion picture Barber Shop boasted two tracks, Fabolous and P. Diddy featuring Jagged Edge's "Trade It All Part 2," and Ginuwine's "Stingy," that were rising on the R&B Top 40 charts, which seemed to bode well for this collection of rhythmic urban music. Typically, not a note of Terence Blanchard's score to the film was included, but there were three tracks on the album, Best Man's "I See You," Jordan Brown's "Better to Leave," and Collin's "Baby, Baby, Baby," not actually featured in the film, and P. Diddy and the Family's "And We" was presented in a different version from the one contained in the film. That last track was one of several marred by awkward and not very deceptive "clean" edits that managed to mangle the songs' rhythms without actually obscuring the vulgar intent of the lyrics. Much of the album, however, consisted of romantic ballads, and the package concluded with two old-school favorites: Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up (Part 1)" and the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There." The album opened and closed with dialogue excerpts from the film that suggested it was a comedy keyed to the questionable macho wisdom that might be overheard in an establishment largely frequented by men. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Tim Story (Executive Producer), Charles Farrar (Producer), Brad Gilderman (Mixing), Bernie Grundman (Mastering), Jean-Marie Horvat (Engineer), Jean-Marie Horvat (Mixing), Marques Houston (Vocals (Background)), Darren Lighty (Keyboards), Darren Lighty (Producer), Manny Marroquin (Mixing), Mischke (Vocals (Background)), Mischke (Vocal Producer), Genard Parker (Engineer), Rob Paustian (Mixing), Tony Prendatt (Engineer), RZA (Arranger), Paul Stewart (Music Supervisor), Chris Stokes (Vocal Producer), Troy Taylor (Vocals (Background)), Troy Taylor (Multi Instruments), Troy Taylor (Producer), Troy Taylor (Vocal Producer), Glen Brunman (Executive in Charge of Music), Sean "Sep" Hall (Producer), Sean "Sep" Hall (Engineer), Amel Larrieux (Vocals (Background)), Ghostface Killah (Arranger), Ginuwine (Vocals (Background)), Diddy (Producer), Chris Athens (Mastering), Ian Boxill (Mixing), Max Gousse (Producer), Max Gousse (A&R), Denise Luiso (Executive in Charge of Music), Anita Camarata (Executive Producer), Ericka Yancey (Vocals (Background)), DJ Clue? (Producer), Joseph "Jo Jo" Hearne (Producer), Johnta Austin (Vocals (Background)), Brandy Flower (Package Design), "You Can Ask" Giz (Engineer), "You Can Ask" Giz (Mixing), Bink (Multi Instruments), Bink (Producer), Rakesh (Mastering), Rakesh (Mixing), Michael "Dino" Campbell (Guitar), Kaylin Frank (Music Coordinator), Dominick Mancuso (Engineer), Eddie F. (Producer), David McPherson (Producer), David McPherson (A&R), Jason Perry (Producer), B2K (Vocals (Background)), Bryan-Michael Cox (Multi Instruments), Bryan-Michael Cox (Producer), Glenn Lewis (Vocals (Background)), Lil Fizz (Rap), Wayne Allison (Engineer), Rowie Nameri (Engineer), Amanda Rosamilia (A&R), Qiana Conley (A&R), Alexis Seton (Assistant), Co Stars (Multi Instruments), Co Stars (Producer), Co Stars (Engineer), Marvin Peart (Producer), Marvin Peart (A&R), Sam Thomas (Pro-Tools), Verna Miles (A&R), Algebra (Vocals (Background)), Robert Teitel (Executive Producer), George Jr. Tillman (Executive Producer), LeMisha Grinstead (Vocal Arrangement)
