Cast: Ice Cube, Regina Hall, Nicki Minaj, Cedric the Entertainer, Tyga.
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 112 minutes
Showing: Cinema Magic Metroplex Mall Naalya and Century Cinemax Acacia Mall, Kisementi
This is a sequel many of us did not see coming. And even after it was announced, some of us did not have high hopes for it. Yet it looks like the fourth Barbershop movie does not suffer from sequel fatigue.
It has been 10 years since we last saw Calvin and his guys at the barbershop and a lot has changed. For starters, the place looks like a cross between a barbershop & a beauty shop. The shop caters to women too, bringing with it all the drama stereotypical of a salon. We are not talking idle gossip here but conversations on societal issues. These may be delivered via raps and what seems to be sassy talk but it’s effective.
While things inside the barbershop are going great, however, it’s not all rosy on the outside. The community is in shambles with a gang causing havoc wherever it can find it. Unfortunately, the gang’s trouble starts spilling into the shop, more specifically to Calvin’s son.
The cast alone makes the latest Barbershop entertaining. An ensemble cast has not worked for every movie lately – let’s not name names — but it works for this one. I was a little nervous that some newcomers had just been added because of their fans — you know who I’m talking about — but they fit right in. So it was a good move after all.
What makes the movie tick though is that it makes a point. It is not just a movie made for entertainment’s sake. There’s a lesson on family and how the outside community affects it plus much more. Except a few eyebrow rising scenes, this explains why some have described the movie as a family movie.