Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I think I’m going to be talking to Ice Cube this week about a variety of subjects. I like him a hell of a lot as a performer, and I am always willing to give one of his films a chance.
Hello then,
I just posted a review for a few flicks a couple of days ago (OLD SCHOOL, being one of them). And as luck would have it, I recently had the chance to attend the new Ice Cube flick, BARBERSHOP. I must say, I enjoyed myself. It was tough to follow OLD SCHOOL in the laughs department, but it had its fair share. The strengths of the movie are as follows:
--The characters. Each character was, at least, reasonably well-drawn. For a movie about multiple characters it must be tough to give each a certain amount of soul, and background. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS did this to the best I had ever encountered. This flick was no TENENBAUMS, but it had its share of characters. They acted in believable manners, and they didn't fall into to many of the potential stero-types that many films with multiple African-americans find themselves in.
--The story. Though it may not sound original of ideas, the story was perfect for the film (which makes sense if you think about it). Ice Cube doesn't like his barbershop, sells it, discovers he loves his barbershop, wants it back. As pedestrian as it sounds, the simplicity worked for this film. If the story was about how Ice Cube and his band of misfit barbers decided to raise money to save the shop, it could have really pissed me off.
Luckilly, it chose to keep it relatively real, and just let the film focus on the characters, and not worry about unreal schemes to save the shop. Instead we see a film which convinces you why people would try to save such a shop with an impromptu hip-hop concert or a car wash (don't worry, neither of these happen). By showing us a day in the life of the shop and it's inhabitants, we see why it's important. The script had a real heart to it, that made it stand out from such films. Surprisingly, it had some touching moments. Sure, you might take em for sentimental crap, but it worked for me. At least today, during this screening.
--Eddie. Eddie is a wise elder barber with some interesting views of black history. He provides the film with some of the most touching and humorous moments. He is played by Cedric the Entertainer, and he manages to live up to his name.
These were the strong points of the film. I only have a few minor gripes. For one, the jokes don't always pan out. Some are DOA, and some die slowly, particularly some involving Anthony Anderson's (one of Carrey's sons from Me, Myself, and Irene) character. He is seen as too much of a bumbling fool at times. Though, I was able to forgive these weak jokes because they didn't resort to crude humor. They, at least, attempted to be funny on their own right. I'm not bashing crude humor, I usually dig it, but when a crude joke bombs, it has a much greater aftermath on the film.
Another minor gripe is in Ice Cube. I have never particularly enjoyed his acting ability. Then again, I've never particularly not-enjoyed him either. It just seems like the lead could have been stronger. He does manage to hold together quite a character-driven film. It's just that an actor such as Don Cheadle could have given more depth to the lead.
Other than these few gripes, I had myself a good time at the theater. I would reccomend checking it out. If not a matinee, maybe a rental. Then again, I could be wrong. You might think it's shit. For I'm just a lowly, common....
Goondock Saint
P.S. I also checked out CQ recently. It's a good little picture. Entertaining on a few fronts. Schwartzman is wicked.
