The gang from Calvin’s Barbershop is back for more in a sequel that in many ways outshines the original. The considerable heart and witty banter of “Barbershop” suffered some slapsticky nonsense — inept crooks, the not-very-ominous loan shark — that has wisely been omitted from “Back In Business.” This time, Calvin’s shop on the South Side of Chicago is under siege from a predatory development company intent on gentrifying the neighborhood by installing spiritless chain operations like Nappy Cutz — a slick haircuttery going up directly across the street. Where the first film was all about Calvin discovering the importance to the community of the shop he inherited from his father, the second deals with broader issues such as the intangible costs of unchecked development and the soul that disappears along with displaced mom and pop shops.
The strength of “Back In Business” is the endearing cast of characters, led once again by Calvin (Ice Cube, the film’s anchor) and Eddie (a gut-bustingly funny Cedric The Entertainer). Ever the con-trarian, Eddie dispenses caustic one-liners disguised as opinions on a host of topics and almost always induces big laughs. He’s also come full circle as Calvin’s moral touchstone — not too shabby for a former small-time crook. Eve is back as Terri, the shop’s only female barber, and this time she’s tempered her temper in an effort to secure inner peace. This drastic change in one of the original movie’s most interesting characters is the sequel’s most obvious, and perhaps only, misstep. Pacifist Terri is no match for the rabble-rousing version. Director Kevin Rodney Sullivan atones for the slip with the addition of SNL’s Kenan Thompson as a shifty rookie barber and Queen Latifah as a stylin’ stylist at an adjacent salon. Both deliver every time they’re on screen. Academy Award-nominee Latifah has already committed to a spin-off flick called “Beauty Shop,” due in 2005. Clearly, she’s betting she has a winner on her hands. Says here that’s a safe bet. (Rated PG-13 for language, sexual material and brief drug references.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2004. Read the original PDF.