BARBERSHOP
Starring
Ice Cube, Sean Patrick Thomas, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the
Entertainer, Eve, Michael Ealy, Troy Garity, Keith David. Directed by
Tim Story. (2002/102 min).
BARBERSHOP
2: BACK IN BUSINESS
Starring
Ice Cube, Sean Patrick Thomas, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Troy
Garity, Harry Lennix, Kenan Thompson, Michael Ealy, Queen Latifah.
Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. (2004/106 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
MVD
MARQUEE COLLECTION
Review
by Stinky the Destroyerđ˝
You
know what's surprising? That these two films have never been released
on Blu-ray until now. Even Barbershop 3 landed on Blu-ray the
same year of its theatrical release. One would think think that'd have
been the perfect time to truck-out the first two, as well.
After all, both were big hits (critically & commercially) and
remain endearing ensemble comedies.
Oh
well. Better late than never, and MVD has finally released the
original Barbershop and Barbershop 2 (as well as the
spin-off film, Beauty Shop) on Blu-ray as part of their
Marquee Collection. There aren't any new extras, but the original
DVDs were pretty generous in that department - especially the first
film - most of which are carried over for these discs.
Barbershop
remains the best of the two films (the whole franchise, for that
matter, including the short-lived Showtime series), obviously because
the premise was fresh and a surprising change-of-pace for Ice
Cube, who was mostly known at the time for playing hard-asses. As
shop owner Calvin Palmer, he's charming, laid-back and extremely
likable, though often playing the straight-man to the antics and
banter of his co-stars. Still, he's the glue which holds the entire
narrative together. Loosely-plotted (to say the least), Barbershop
is a congenial hodge-podge of engaging characters, authentic dialogue
and no-small-amount of cartoon buffoonery.
 |
| Nothing a little duct tape can't fix. |
Most
of the cast returns for Barbershop 2, with the welcome
addition of Queen Latifah as Gina, Calvin's old girlfriend who works
at the beauty shop next door. While the main story isn't quite as
interesting as the original, I really enjoyed the side story where
Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) looks back at his life during the
tumultuous 60s. Elsewhere, the film is as loose and leisurely paced
as the original, though Kenan Thompson as Calvin's clumsy cousin is
kind-of irritating. Barbershop 2 ultimately suffers from the
law of diminishing returns, but considering it's essentially business
as usual, the movie's a worthy follow-up.
I've
personally never known anyone who loved of the original that didn't
enjoy the sequel. For them, picking up both titles is probably a
forgone conclusion. But for those who already own them on DVD, the bonus
features are the same, so the improved audio/video transfer would be
the only real reason for double-dipping.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
BARBERSHOP:
"THE
HAIR CLUB" - A four-chapter behind-the-scenes documentary (40
minutes total).
FEATURETTE
- "Barber Banter"
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - With director Tim Story, producers Robert Teitel &
George Tillman Jr and writer Don Scott Jr.
DELETED
SCENES
BLOOPERS/OUTTAKES
MUSIC
VIDEO - "Trade it All" (Fabulous featuring P. Diddy and
Jagged Edge)
TRAILERS
- For Barbershop, Barbershop 2 and Beauty Shop
PHOTO
GALLERY
BARBERSHOP
2:
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - With director Kevin Rodney Sullivan and producers
Robert Teitel & George Tillman Jr.
CAST
VIDEO COMMENTARY - With Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Harris,
Troy Garity and Jazmin Lewis.
DELETED
SCENES
OUTTAKES
MUSIC
VIDEOS - "Not Today" (Mary J. Blige featuring Eve); "I
Can't Wait" (Sleepy Brown featuring OutKast).
TRAILERS
- For Barbershop, Barbershop 2 and Beauty Shop
PHOTO
GALLERY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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