Beauty Shop
Review by Clint Morris
The studio may have washed Barbershop out of its tresses,
but that doesn’t mean they haven’t got an appointment
for a brighter, disparate rinse.
If the former was an attractive trim, than Beauty Shop,
the female equivalent of the Ice Cube-starring series, is
a funky fat new do – colourful, attention-grabbing and
sweet smelling.
But is there anything here to support the pretty new mop?
Headlined by rising superstar Queen Latifah, but backed by
more screen beauties than the annual Sports Illustrated Special
(Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari, Andie MacDowell), Beauty
Shop moves the attention from Calvin’s (Ice Cube)
Chicago hair-cuttery over to Gina Norris’s hair salon
in Atlanta.
Things seem to be going very well, and rather quickly, for
Gina – who recently left an upscale firm run by the terribly
affected Jorge (Kevin Bacon) – but in true movie-fashion,
things take less time to go vinegary.
Not only is the wiring in the place faulty, but also her
ex-boss is determined to sabotage her. Akin to the events
of Barbershop, Norris begins to fight back and with
the help of a charming piano-playing electrician (Djimon Hounsou),
sooner or later, she aims to win the spiteful scuffle of the
salons.
Though a little more grounded in reality than Barbershop
(it’s less a floor for comedians and more a levelheaded
bit of fluff) the spin-off is still doing donuts in the same
vicinity. The blueprint is the same - life and struggles of
a small-time shopkeeper - and the appeal of the film lies,
to an extent, in it’s tepid story but mainly with the
vast array of madcap but divergent characters in tow.
Latifah is her usual charming, comedic self, Silverstone
is gorgeously goofy (strong south accent along for the ride),
Hounsou exudes warmth in whatever character he plays, and
Bacon is a chortle as foreign upscale salon owner, Jorge.
Without the fine cast and energetic approach to proceedings,
Beauty Shop wouldn’t be much. This story is getting
a little fusty, and it’s not as crammed with laughs as
it could’ve been. However, for those gals that felt a
little left out with the man-swarming Barbershop, or
for those fellas that are missing the sweet mug of the bewitching
batgirl Silverstone, this might fill the spot come discount
Tuesday.
3 out of 5
Beauty Shop
Australian release: Thursday 2nd of June, 2005
Cast: Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell,
Alfre Woodard, Mena Suvari, Kevin Bacon, Djimon Hounsou, Keshia
Knight Pulliam.
Director: Bille Woodruff.
Website: Click
here.
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