A Review by Phil Calabro
2005, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Dir. Billie Woodruff - Starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone, Djimon Hounsou, Kevin Bacon, Andie MacDowell, Golden Brooks, Alfre Woodard, Laura Hayes, Paige Hurd, Omari Hardwick, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Mena Suvari, Sherri Shepherd
From a distance, 'Beauty Shop' seems as plasticized as it can get - nearly a week after 'Barbershop 2' hit the box office, MGM already cooks up a spinoff with Queen Latifah's character. Straight out of the grind, this flick is bound to be compared to its predecessors - but after a second look, it's really not that bad. Of course, there's only so many big butt jokes that you can make in one movie, but at least Queen Latifah can pull it off. Every now and then, the audiences gets a few lasting laughs, but there's nothing groundbreaking in this commentary-laden little movie. The Queen is nothing short of her usual sassiness, and has some great chemistry with her supporting cast members - most notably the talented Kevin Bacon in (by far) the silliest role he has ever played. Although it's never going to be 'Barbershop' and it doesn't deliver half as many good jokes as it should, 'Beauty Shop' is a tolerable and sometimes enjoyable movie.
Gina Norris (Latifah) has moved from Chicago to Atlanta with her young daughter Vanessa (Hurd) after her husband dies, and she works inside the elite hair salon of the egocentric Jorge (Bacon). Although one of the best stylists in the salon, Gina quits after she is fed up of Jorge's power hunger, and vows to open her own shop in competition. She buys an old boutique where she hires several friends such as the white Georgian girl Lynn (Silverstone) to be fellow stylists. Soon, Gina is recognized as one of the best salons in the state, and Jorge feels that he needs to step in. He bribes state officials to fine her for minute problems, in hopes of shutting her down. Along with having to deal with his mischievious antics, Gina also falls in love with her store's neighbor, a sweet piano-playing electrician named Joe (Nounsou).
Queen Latifah is one of the funniest popular actresses in the business today - she has singing and acting credits on her shoulders, giving her pure freedom to take so many different roles. Yet she clings onto the same kind everytime. Certainly, you can't always go wrong with a sassy hairstylist, but I get tired of these kinds of roles (see 'Taxi' to understand what I'm saying) Certainly, her role in 'Beauty Shop' is no different than what she did in 'Barbershop', but it seems so diluted this time around. There's so much potential in her sass, but it's wasted for other supporting characters in its stead. Every now and then, she steps in to give her own commentary, but Gina Norris is more orbited by her other hairdressers rather than herself. Kevin Bacon makes a hilarious turn as Jorge, the prima donna of the Atlanta hairstyling scene. Sure, I may be impressing on his character which isn't all too big, but still the funniest in the entire movie. Imagine him with a random European accent and shaggy beach-bum hair - what a great visual for a character.
'Beauty Shop' takes a turn where 'Barbershop 2' went wrong. Instead of focusing on the shop's commentary from the barbers and such, it also deals with small plotlines in between. Although they are sort of necessary, too much time is dedicated to little things rather than what we're trying to get the laughs from. The love plotline in 'Beauty Shop', although obligatory, seems contrived and rather stupid. The minute Djimon Hounsou walks onto the set, the scene is all ready to make him the official love interest of the movie. The comedy is still fresh in some sense, though. Sure, booty jokes come and go, but the original ones fling off the screen pretty quickly. The beauty shop is a casual place, so it all depends on the informal delivery - it works again.
I can imagine this movie sinking deeper into the box office blues after this week, but it's kind of a shame, because the movie isn't really a waste. People who had very little tolerance for 'Barbershop' and its sequel's casual nature will have a tough time sitting through this movie, but for those looking for a quick laugh and a rather good time, 'Beauty Shop' will fix you up nice.
