"BARBERSHOP 2: BACK IN BUSINESS" (2004) (Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Heavy Minor Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Moderate Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Mild Minor Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Comedy: The owner and workers of an old-fashioned barbershop must contend with their differences as well as corporate competition that's opening across the street. PLOT: Now that he outright owns the Chicago barbershop opened by his father in 1958, Calvin Palmer (ICE CUBE) is a relatively happy man. A new father, he's generally content, even if his workers occasionally get on his and each other's nerves. There's old-timer Eddie (CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) who likes to rile things up by openly speaking his highly opinionated mind, while the only white barber, Isaac (TROY GARITY), claims he's the best of the bunch. African Dinka (LEONARD EARL HOWZE) still likes stylist Terri (EVE), and there seem to be more than antagonistic sparks between her and ex-con Ricky (MICHAEL EALY), although neither will admit it. Former barber Jimmy (SEAN PATRICK THOMAS), who works for verbose Alderman Brown (ROBERT WISDOM), is now a pushy client, while Calvin's cousin, Kenard (KENAN THOMPSON), has arrived fresh from barber school and automatically thinks he has a job. Even Calvin's ex-girlfriend, Gina (QUEEN LATIFAH), owns the beauty salon next door. While Calvin can control them, he suddenly finds himself facing a new challenge. That comes in the form of businessman Quentin Leroux (HARRY LENNIX) who's decided to open a Nappy Cutz franchise directly across the street from Calvin's shop. Worried but undeterred, Calvin tries to spruce up his place and keep his loyal customers, all while dealing with the various issues and unexpected developments facing him. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the first "Barbershop" and/or anyone in the cast, it's a good bet they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For language, sexual material and brief drug references. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ICE CUBE plays the man who inherited his father's longstanding barbershop and must put up with the daily headaches generated by his crew and the new arrival of competition directly across the street. He uses some profanity. CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER plays the highly opinionated, old-timer barber who isn't hesitant to speak his mind and rile up others. He uses some profanity. SEAN PATRICK THOMAS plays a former barber who now works for a local politician and has become a critical and pushy customer for Calvin's crew (he eventually changes his ways for the better). He uses some profanity. EVE plays the shop's stylist who's somewhat standoffish, particularly toward Ricky, although she ends up falling for him. She uses some profanity. MICHAEL EALY plays the ex-con who's trying to set his life straight and finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Terri. He uses some profanity and smokes a few times. TROY GARITY plays the shop's lone white barber who thinks he's the best there and isn't afraid to say so. LEONARD EARL HOWZE plays the soft-spoken African who's smitten with Terri, but later has another woman in his bed. HARRY LENNIX plays a businessman who's opening a competitive store across from Calvin and wants to put him out of business any way he can. He smokes a few times. ROBERT WISDOM plays the local politician who speaks a lot but never really says anything. He takes a bribe from Quentin for his vote and seems prepared to fool around with a young woman. KENAN THOMPSON plays Calvin's young cousin who's just graduated from barber school and automatically thinks he has a job with him. QUEEN LATIFAH plays Calvin's ex-girlfriend who works next door, gets into a "put down" battle with Eddie and makes some sexual remarks. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue (including jokes) are present, as is some brief making out. A woman is also seen under a man's sheets, implying fooling around or sex, while another man leaves a room to have sex with his wife. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, some brief crude humor is present, and a few characters drink and/or smoke. Violence includes a flashback to some 1960s riot material (including a Molotov cocktail being thrown), and some other brief contact (most played for comedy). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see a drunken man dressed like Uncle Sam who drinks. When a little girl says that she's going to tell on Eddie, he sarcastically replies, "Go to the crack house and tell her." Alderman Brown and Quentin drink and have cigars. Alderman then pours another drink for himself. BLOOD/GORE Eddie goes on about diarrhea and lactose intolerant problems to a stranger and talks about things blowing up, smelling bad and the like. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE In the past, Eddie knocks down a drunken man and then flees from the police, one of which tries to hit him with his Billy club. It's indicated that Eddie is a thief and he acts as if he has a gun in his coat pocket when he ends up in Calvin Sr.'s barbershop. Some barbers lies to the police about Eddie. Eddie makes disparaging jokes about biracial people and that the D.C. sniper was the Jackie Robinson of crime, saying he broke into the white league of crime. A guy tries to sell pirated DVDs. Jimmy, a former barber, has an impatient and condescending attitude toward his former coworkers, but later helps them. A man's wife or significant other slaps him (she claims he cheated on her). Kenard places various pictures of women in bikinis on his work mirror. Kenard tells a woman that they should have some kids together and jokes that they could squeeze four or so "from that" (while looking at her clothed butt -- that the camera focuses on). Eddie and Gina get into a battle of cut-downs toward each other. She says that the last women he slept with was battery operated and mentions him "holding your sh*t" (while mocking him holding his clothed crotch which she imitates). He tells her, "You're one Reese's Pieces away from Jenny Craig." A man tries to convert Terri to the Nation of Islam and there's related talk about that. Terri and Ricky don't get along, and have bad attitudes toward each other (but that changes later in the film). Calvin and his workers break into the yet to be opened competition's store across the street (at night) for a look around. One of the male barbers tells another, "You cut like a bitch." We see that Quentin has apparently bribed Alderman Brown for his vote. Alderman Brown and Quentin offer to pay off Calvin if he speaks on their behalf at a city meeting. In a flashback, we see rioting and a man throws a Molotov cocktail that explodes. Kenard turns sides and goes to work for the competition across the street, while Isaac briefly has a bad work attitude toward his boss. FRIGHTENING SCENES There's a flashback to the rioting following the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination. We see a cop push a guy onto a car only to have someone hit him with a board and then struggling with him. A man then runs up to the barbershop with a Molotov cocktail, but Eddie makes him stop. That man then throws it across the street where it explodes. GUNS/WEAPONS We see some Black Panthers in the barbershop during a flashback and they go on that if they're shot at, they're going to shoot back, etc. (we don't see any guns). In a flashback, we see rioting and a man throws a Molotov cocktail that explodes. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Due to audience noise and/or slurred dialogue on the part of Eddie, some of the wording and phrases (profanity, sexual and otherwise) could not be heard or understood. That said, we hear the following phrases: "White bullsh*t," "This sh*t ain't funny," "He ate sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Holding your sh*t," "Sh*tload," "I ain't with that sh*t," "Freak out," "Pasty pilgrim ass," "Would you know me if I shove my foot up your ass?" "Broke ass," "He's a freak," "You can kiss my ass," "Shut up," "My bad," "Funky ass," "Damn straight," "Busting my ass," "Old ass," "Hell no," "Lazy ass," "Fat ass," "You're one Reese's Pieces away from Jenny Craig," "I'm gonna kick your ass," "You don't know jack about me," "Bitches," "Skanky as hell," "What the hell /is going on in here/did he do?" "Ghetto as hell," "You cut like a bitch," "Freak-mobile," "Ho's" (whores), "Give a damn," "Hot as hell," "Black ass," "Three orders of hell no" and "Cheap ass." A guy tries to sell pirated DVDs. Ricky and Terri have various tattoos. A younger Eddie catches a ride down the street on a moving fire truck. In a flashback, we see rioting and a man throws a Molotov cocktail that explodes. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has lyrics with a guy singing that he's going to get a girl all alone in his bedroom, wants her to tell him how she likes it and more. Other songs have lyrics that we couldn't hear or understand, thus offering the possibility of them containing other potentially objectionable material. PROFANITY Due to audience noise and/or slurred dialogue on the part of Eddie, some of the wording and phrases (profanity, sexual and otherwise) could not be heard or understood. That said, we heard at least 1 "f" word (with another incomplete one used with "mother"), 25 "s" words, 3 slang terms for sex ("doing it" and "hitting it"), 1 slang term for female genitals ("trim"), 4 for breasts ("t*tty"), 21 asses, 16 hells, 10 damns, 5 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "Oh God" and "Sweet Jesus." SEX/NUDITY A comment is made about a "t*tty bar" being put in on the street, prompting one man to say he'd never go home then. That man's wife or significant other then confronts him about cheating and then comments on his "little toddler penis." A woman shows some cleavage. While holding Calvin's toddler who touches her clothed breasts, Gina tells the kid, "Your daddy used to like to play with those too." A man asks a woman that if she "ain't doing me...who are you doing?" Gina and other women joke about which white guys they'd sleep with. Gina then says her choice would be Mini-Me (from Austin Powers) and then says something about "Mini-Me, use your head" (a sexual connotation). Eddie makes a joke about the Clinton-Lewinsky issue by saying something about "oral relations" with her. Seeing a (clothed) female dancer in a promo for Nappy Cutz, an older man comments on her being "nasty." Kenard places various pictures of women in bikinis on his work mirror. Alderman Brown makes an offhand sexual reference toward a young woman that he's accompanying into his office (meaning he's going to fool around and/or have sex with her). Kenard tells a woman that they should have some kids together and jokes that they could squeeze four or so "from that" (while looking at her clothed butt -- that the camera focuses on). Eddie and Gina get into a battle of cut-downs toward each other. She says that the last women he slept with was battery operated and mentions him "holding your sh*t" (while mocking him holding his clothed crotch which she imitates). Terri and Ricky do some brief, passionate kissing before Isaac interrupts them. When a guy says that "size isn't everything" (about the size of the store across the street), Terri sarcastically replies (making a penis joke), "Keep telling yourself that." Calvin's wife, who's in some silky lingerie that shows cleavage, suggests they head to the bedroom. Calvin playfully asks if she's trying to get something started, and she replies that she was hoping so before the (hair) rollers go in. Calvin then jokingly tells his toddler son that it looks like he's going to get a baby brother or sister and then tells his wife to put the rollers in as he might like that. A woman in a beauty shop jokes about someone being "the head of state of sexual positions" and they laugh about that and the word "head" (in a sexual way). In the background of a shot we see some calendars on the wall that are small, but show pictures of scantly clad women. Eddie jokes about some modern art looking like a uterus. While doing a live TV appearance in the barbershop, Alderman Brown drops a little innuendo to Terri by stating that when he comes back "you'll have to give me a little trim." While arguing with Ricky, Isaac comments on Ricky "slopping down" (or something like that) Terri in the locker room. When Ricky goes to see Dinka, the latter opens the door shirtless and we then see a woman in his bed, holding the covers up over her body. Dinka tells Ricky that they'll talk tomorrow and then says maybe the day after (referring to the woman in his bed). Ricky and Terri passionately make out in his truck, prompting a passing motorist to say something about "hitting it." Eddie asks a middle-aged woman he's known for a long time if she still has that mattress on the floor. He then says that they might be able to get down there, but doesn't know if they'll be able to get back up (presumably meaning after sex). Jimmy states that he's known as big daddy in the bedroom. The crew talks about R&B artist R Kelly (who's been charged with child pornography). Eddie jokes that the only setup that occurred was Kelly setting up his video camera and that the artist has "his head so far up the girl's behind" that one thought it was groundhog's day. SMOKING Ricky smokes a few times, while Quentin and Alderman Brown have cigars (Quentin earlier holds an unlit cigar). TENSE FAMILY SCENES A man's wife or significant other slaps him (for cheating on her). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Urban revitalization. Corporations seeming to take over America. A man tries to convert Terri to the Nation of Islam and there's related talk about that. We see some Black Panthers in the barbershop during a flashback. VIOLENCE In the past, Eddie knocks down a drunken man and then flees from the police, one of which tries to hit him with his Billy club. It's indicated that Eddie is a thief and he acts as if he has a gun in his coat pocket when he ends up in Calvin Sr.'s barbershop. Cops then kick open a door while still after Eddie. A man's wife or significant other slaps him (for cheating on her). In a flashback to his younger days, Eddie pushes several people out of his way as he chases after a train carrying a woman with whom he's suddenly smitten. After Kenard accidentally buzzes his head with some clippers, Alderman Brown grabs him by the throat (played for laughs). There's a flashback to the rioting following the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination. We see a cop push a guy onto a car only to have someone hit him with a board and then struggling with him. A man then runs up to the barbershop with a Molotov cocktail, but Eddie makes him stop. That man then throws it across the street where it explodes. Calvin throws a store decoration to the floor in anger (it shatters). Reviewed February 3, 2004 / Posted February 6, 2004

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