Anthony's Film Review - Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)

Barbershop 2 continues the fun, though to a somewhat lesser degree than the original...

The 2002 comedy Barbershop, depicting the amusing moments that occur in a South Side Chicago barbershop, was such a fun movie that there had to be a sequel. With so many topics to discuss and things that could possibly happen, you need another Barbershop movie to capture those additional moments. Hence, two years later, we get Barbershop 2: Back in Business. I will say right now that you can possibly enjoy this sequel if you liked the first one. It depends, however, on whether you have any issue with this movie being a little less funny than the first Barbershop movie.

Since the real joy of Barbershop is the fun that goes on in the barbershop itself, it makes sense to have Barbershop 2's first scene after the opening credits focus on humorous dialogue on random topics. You see familiar characters, including Ice Cube as Calvin, Cedric the Entertainer as Eddie, Eve as Terri, Michael Ealy as Ricky, and Leonard Earl Howze as Dinka, talking while at work in the shop. The most notable line comes from Eddie, who calls the D.C. Sniper the "Jackie Robinson of crime." And why stop there? The movie continues this fun by presenting a nearby beauty shop, run by Queen Latifah's character Gina, where all of the female hairstylists and customers talk about sexy men. And in a later scene, there is an amusing battle-of-the-sexes duel of insults at an outdoor barbecue.

As much as I want the whole movie to have no plot at all and instead just focus on the barbershop, there has to be a plot because a movie must have one. It begins when the barbershop crew discover that the Nappy Cuts barber chain will open a shop across the street from Calvin's Barbershop. It's an interesting premise, though it takes a while before this story really continues. That's when we see Calvin and the gang quietly breaking into the soon-to-be-open Nappy Cuts shop to find out what luxurious amenities are inside and to understand what kind of business competition they're up against. This leads Calvin to implement a few changes to his barbershop.

The characters in this Barbershop movie are still interesting enough, like in the first movie. Still, the most comical character of the cast is certainly Cedric the Entertainer's character Eddie. In fact, there is a noticeable effort to feature this character more than the other Barbershop characters. This is why the first scene of the movie before the credits is a flashback of a young Eddie fleeing police. There are other flashback scenes as well, and for a while, they look like they don't serve a purpose. But if you wait long enough, you'll see it.

This movie is still fun, though a step lower than the first Barbershop movie. There are two reasons for this. One, the movie jumps from one thing to another without looking as if it knows what to focus on. Two, Cedric the Entertainer's performance is a bit duller this time, but I ultimately forgave him after coming to a greater appreciation for the character as well as the significance of Calvin's Barbershop. Like I said above, whether you like it depends on what your expectations are. For me, this movie didn't rip me off, though I did feel I was getting somewhat less value for my buck than with the first Barbershop visit.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Barbershop 2: Back in Business, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of Barbershop and Barbershop: The Next Cut.