Barbershop

Starring: Ice Cube, Eve

RS: 0of 4 Stars

2002 Comedy

Good-natured fun when it isn't stale, which is most of the time, this talky comedy set in a Chicago barber shop is a sitcom pilot disguised as a movie. Ice Cube is appealingly low-key as Calvin, who sells his dad's business to a loan shark, only to want it back when he realizes the barbershop is a vital meeting place for the black community. The barbers, including an old-timer (Cedric the Entertainer), a smartass college kid (Sean Patrick Thomas), one woman (Eve) and even one jive-ass white guy (Troy Garrity, son of Jane Fonda), seem like TV stereotypes waiting for more than one note to play. Final verdict: You've seen it all before.

PETER TRAVERS
(October 3, 2002)