Barbershop: The Next Cut Opens as the #1 Comedy in the Box Office

There’s no place like the barbershop! The barbershop and salon are places where you converse with others  while  pampering yourself simultaneously. Calvin’s barbershop is like a second home; that brings men and women together. “The barbershop is a pillar of the neighborhood,” says Jerrod in Barbershop: The Next Cut. It shows how essential the barbershop is in their community.

By: Samaya Edwards

April 15th, 2016 was the release date of the comedy Barbershop: The Next Cut. For those of you who don’t know, Barbershop is a film series which originated in 2002. The films focus on the personal life of the main character, Calvin Palmer Jr., owner of the barbershop. Calvin is played by Ice Cube, who also doubles as executive producer.

The movie takes place in southside of Chicago where Calvin's barbershop is located. To overcome tough times Calvin (Ice Cube) and Angie (Regina Hall), the owner of the neighboring saloon,  become business partners. With the amalgamation of two antagonistic businesses, conflict is inevitable. The movie accurately portrays the men vs. women conflict in a comedic way. Despite the altercation between the sexes, Calvin has to encounter an even bigger problem. With the rapidly increasing gang, violence, and crime rate in his neighborhood, Calvin worries Jalen’s (his teenage son) fate is in jeopardy. With all the violence consuming the neighborhood Calvin and his team work together to come up with a plan in attempt to save their cherished home and loved ones.

Barbershop: The Next Cut was definitely a theatrical event that pleased the audience. It was like a big family reunion. The riveting comedy succeeded in entertaining and engaging audiences. Although Barbershop fits into the comedy genre, the movie tackles real-life issues that affect our society today. It also takes on the conflict of battle-of-the-sexes. As a fan of the Barbershop franchise I was worried this sequel wouldn’t be as good as the first two movies. I was disappointed that Michael Ealy’s character Ricky Nash did not make a comeback. However, this sequel proved me wrong as I was very satisfied with the production.