Barbershops
have long been sanctuaries for men to express opinions to
one another on any subject. The film Barbershop,
directed by Tim Story, reproduces that environment as well
as serving up a slice of life among African Americans of three
generations. The plot is simple. Calvin Palmer (played by
Ice Cube) is the owner of a barbershop in Chicago's south
side. His father started the barbershop in 1958, but he is
not turning a profit because his patrons have very little
spending money in an America where more than 20 percent of
the population is below the poverty line. Not really interested
in running the shop, he has been squandering his resources
on get-rich-quick schemes that never pan out. When he receives
a report that he has insufficient funds to pay property taxes,
with foreclosure a certain prospect, he calls loan shark Lester
Wallace (played by Keith David) to buy him out. Lester puts
$20,000 before Calvin, saying that accepting that amount is
a contract to buy the barbershop for that price. Calvin accepts
the funds on the condition that the "Barbershop"
sign will never come down, but later Lester tells him that
he will remodel the shop to be a gentleman's club that will
retain the name "Barbershop." When Calvin's wife
Jennifer (played by Jazsmin Lewis) finds out about the sale,
she is indignant. Soon, Calvin has a case of seller's remorse,
but Lester will not take the money back and demands $40,000
to sell the barbershop back. Meanwhile, the barbershop is
teeming with opinions and autobiographical stories, mostly
about the economic and social problems of African Americans.
Jimmy (played by Sean Patrick Thomas) is an uppity Black barber,
while Ricky (played by Michael Ealy) is a barber trying to
go straight after two felony convictions. There is a White
barber, Isaac Rosenberg (played by Troy Garity), but his multicultural
presence is eclipsed by opinionated Eddie (played by Cedric
the Entertainer), a barber with no customers. One of Eddie's
complaints is that many African Americans refused to move
to the back of the bus over the years, but Rosa Parks got
special attention solely because she worked for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In another crack, Jesse Jackson is slurred, and his acid tongue
also lashes out at O. J. Simpson and Rodney King. Despite
(or because of the publicity from) the protest over the Eddie's
politically incorrect comments on the part of Al Sharpton
and others, Barbershop is doing
well at the box office because African Americans see themselves
and their friends somewhere in the range of characters. On
October 28, the National Association of Cosmetologists filed
suit, accusing Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton of intentional
infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and negligence due
to their demand for MGM to apologize and to cut scenes with
derogatory references to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa
Parks.Oh, in the end will the barbershop really close down?
Be prepared for a surprise ending. MH
I
want to comment on this film
