In a strange way, the latest Barbershop installment is a far more mainstream and straightforward companion film to last year’s CHI-RAQ, from director Spike Lee. In a strange coincidence, BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT is directed by Lee’s cousin Malcolm D. Lee, who has helmed such popular fare as THE BEST MAN and THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY, UNDERCOVER BROTHER, ROLL BOUNCE, and SOUL MEN. But both of their latest works, in exceedingly different ways, tackled the problem of gun violence on Chicago’s South side (although most of THE NEXT CUT was shot in Atlanta).
It’s admirable that producer/star Ice Cube has allowed the BARBERSHOP franchise to adapt to the times and take on darker topics in a comedic environment that’s a bit easier to swallow, rather than simply attempt to repeat the same formula from the previous two films. And while THE NEXT CUT’s screenplay certainly gets message heavy at times, it also brings the cutting jokes full bore. The film has as much to say about gun violence, police shootings, and gangs as it does about trifling men and women, fashion, child rearing, soul food and hair cuts.
Sometimes the transition from a serious topic to a funnier one is a bit jarring, but just as often it’s skillfully blended in equal measure. There are certainly some subplots that seem like time killers more (one involving barber Rashad, played by rapper Common, fighting with his stylist wife Terri, played by Eve, goes nowhere), but when the film digs in and finds its groove, the results can be surprisingly thought provoking.
One of the more powerful storylines involves Calvin (Ice Cube) attempting his keep his teen son Jalen (Michael Rainey Jr.) from getting involved with neighborhood gangs, who seem to be spraying bullets in the area on a daily basis. Many who enter the shop (which is now combined with a beauty salon, so men and women occupy the same space and share in the conversation) ask questions about what these gang members are fighting about all the time, and it’s a fair question, the answer to which seems to boil down to some inflated sense of pride and unearned respect. The occupants of Calvin’s Barbershop come up with a plan to call for a weekend-long ceasefire, and offer free cuts as long as the guns stay holstered, hoping that residents will enjoy the respite so much that they’ll demand the violence stop more permanently.
The film is packed with fantastic and funny actors, each weighing in on every subject that comes up in the sacred barbershop space. Cedric the Entertainer returns as Eddie, the eldest barber, who also happens to cut the quick of every subject, sometimes hitting right between the eyes. Also working or dropping by are Regina Hall, Anthony Anderson, J.B. Smoove, Nicki Minaj, Lamorne Morris, Margot Bingham, Deon Cole, and even Sean Patrick Thomas as barber-turned-politician Jimmy James, who works in the mayor’s office and is attempting to help out from City Hall.
It has been 12 years since the last BARBERSHOP movie, but THE NEXT CUT doesn’t feel like a cash-in from a familiar franchise title. I think the filmmakers saw a need in the community where the BARBERSHOP films are set and screenwriters Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver crafted a story around the issues at hand. The film isn’t breaking ground as a protest movie, but in its own way, it’s a call to action, a plea for change, and it’s using the popularity of the series as an instrument for peace. That’s my way of saying the film’s heart is in the right place, but so are its ideas and jokes. It gets heavy handed at times, but maybe hitting the audience over the head is the right means of delivering the message. And make no mistake, these messages aren’t just for black audiences; the urgent call for compassion goes across the board. This BARBERSHOP dares to bend and expand the mold, even if it doesn’t quite break it, and the resulting work is something unique in comedic film right now.
