Special-K88 Review of Barbershop: The Next Cut

Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

a belated sequel that isn't quite what you'd expect it to be

[13 June 2019]

Dedicated barber Calvin has formed a partnership with Angie and the two of them (along with their irrepressible colleagues) are relishing their success. At the same time, Calvin is trying to be a good father to his smart but impressionable teenage son who's fallen in league with the wrong crowd as the neighborhood continues to be encroached upon by negative influences. An enjoyable but most unusual follow-up; when it spotlights the day-to-day routine of the shop and interplay between it's likable, wisecracking characters it's pleasant enough (though not uproariously funny), however with so much emphasis placed on a subplot about the emergence of gang violence and deterioration of Chicago's South Side, it works better as a social commentary than an actual comedy. In spite of that, the central theme is a good one and Cube provides a sincere, sympathetic portrayal of a man torn between his commitment to his business, and his responsibilities as a father. Well-cast, deeply political, and easy to take, but those expecting loads of laughs may be unsatisfied. **½