Posted: 10/02/2002

Barbershop

(2002)

by Joe Steiff

An independent film that reaches for the unattainable and very nearly reaches it.

A fraction of the typical Hollywood budget. No action sequences to speak of. Characters who lay their lives bare as much in their dialogue as their actions. Forget about Full Frontal. Here is a film that rests firmly in the tradition of low-budget independent filmmaking.

Two of the film’s producers, Robert Teitel and George Tillman Jr. have collaborated previously as producer and director, respectively, of Scenes For The Soul, Soul Food and Men Of Honor, proving themselves particularly adept at portraying those small telling moments between friends and family. Their involvement in Barbershop heralds their ability to find these qualities in other people’s scripts and direction. Screenwriters Mark Brown (who also wrote 2001’s How To Be A Player and 1997’s Two Can Play That Game) and first-timers Don D. Scott and Marshall Todd and director Tim Story (1997’s One Of Us Tripped) bring us a film that sits easily alongside Soul Food.

Barbershop follows 12 hours in the life of Calvin (Ice Cube), a man on the verge of fatherhood and feeling the strains of familial tradition. He owns and operates a south side Chicago barbershop handed down from his grandfather to his father to him. He wants more than to merely get by, with a history of dreams to get rich quick that never quite work out.

While another workday gets under way at the barbershop, a second story line involving the theft of an ATM stands in contrast as another way in which people sometimes hope to get rich quick and slowly wends its way to an intersection with Calvin’s story. This second story’s physical comedy serves as a contrast as well to the verbal humor of the barbershop scenes.

The controversy surrounding one scene in particular—the Reverend Jesse Jackson has demanded its removal from future cuts of the film—is misguided. The film calls into question all of our assumptions, from Jimmy James’ (Sean Patrick Thomas) educated view of the world to Ricky’s (Michael Ealy) past criminal behavior and allows for a range of points of view without purely embracing any that are truly objectionable. Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) espouses his views, but not without challenge; and none are blindly accepted. He’s right in pointing out that this is the art of discussion and that discussion includes the right to disagree or even argue with him. Much is to be learned in discussion, maybe not so much about historical facts as much as the person talking, how we make sense of the world around us, how we form bonds with other people. Censoring discussion is not the answer; the answer lies in joining in. And this is exactly what happens during the course of Barbershop—people join in the discussion, finding out new things about each other and forming stronger friendships.

The cast is great. Besides the people already mentioned, Eve makes the stop from rap star to actor as Terri, with two-timing lover, apple juice and all, and Troy Garity plays the token wannabe who rises to the occasion.

If there’s any drawback to such a large cast of characters, it’s that we don’t get to spend enough time with any of them. I found myself particularly wanting to see more of Calvin with Jennifer (Jazsmin Lewis), whose scenes hint at a couple well aware of each other’s faults and yet loving and generous with each other. This abbreviated time with the secondary characters also means that from time to time, we miss out on some of the complexities of character growth or change.

But these are minor quibbles. When all is said and done, when a film can make something so small as a haircut say so much about the capacity of humans to set aside their pride and acknowledge another, you can’t wait to see what these folks do next.

And next seems to be a sequel. There’s even been some suggestions that this scenario is better suited to a TV series. Either way, here’s hoping they find the magic again.

Joe Steiff loves Hollywood. He really does. He really really does. Don’t hold this review against him if you’re ever in a position to give him work. Please. I love you all.

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