Here we are on a third installment of the Movie "Barbershop" starring NWA rapper turned actor, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson. The previous movies were really entertaining, and we are always happy to see black star power as part of a franchise. This movie uses two hugely successful rappers , the Oscar Award winning rapper Common along with fan fave Nicki Minaj, also added in are star comedians Anthony Anderson, and Cedric the Entertainer plus many others to round out the cast of talented actors!
Ice Cube also added cameos from previous actors from the other "Barbershop" movies, which allow keeps the latest instalment familiar being that the last "Barbershop" move was 12 years ago. It was also nice to see the progression of the characters and their lives in a realistic manner. It is hard to continue to believe a movie when they make the characters progress in a way that makes the previous seem as though they were not a part of the next one. Barbershop does not waste time adding in feel good moments of truth, timeless classic music, and family. THAT is what makes this movie one of the ones you add to your DVD library as soon as possible.
Although there were some awkward moments, missed comedic timing, and forced or too fast conclusions to parts of the movie, it is understandable when you are playing a part and not being able to be yourselves. This movie could have been way more powerful if they could have given a real peek into the lives of an African American business owner and his family and the people they encounter and interact with daily. We understand that these are fictitious characters, but adding a little more reality would have really made this movie better overall. Using current civil rights issues between blacks and the police, while a great platform to a larger audience, seemed to feel disjointed with it peppered in between jokes, and other scattered scenarios in the movie.
Now with that point being made, there are things we need to see when it comes to black cinema, but many seem to follow the same formula and that never seems to change. Movies that boast an all black or majority black cast always end up with one of two themes, Relationships and Activism. It would really be nice to see a movie from a black person's point of view to not portray what white Hollyweird thinks black people like and what they are like. I wish they would let the "Barbershop" franchise grow like "Fast and Furious" franchise does by growing the players and pushing authentic character building, as to make the barbershop aspect of the movie be like the car racing aspect of the Fast movies, just the icing on the cake.
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