Attending film school and writing my own scripts has given me a new-found appreciation for mediocre comedy. Comedy is really really hard. Even obvious comedy is hard.
And so I gave Beauty Shop a chance. Everyone can probably guess at the formula for Beauty Shop. Women come together to run a business, meet wonderful men, kick the crappy ones to the curb and look fabulous.
Yup. Queen Latifa stars as the upcoming single mother hairstylist. The film opens with her working under the ridiculous Jorge, marvelously played by Kevin Bacon. And this is one of the best parts of this film. Along with Bacon, Andie MacDowell, Alicia Silverstone, and Mena Suvari, all white actors who usually wouldn't be anywhere near a black-centric film, are included in the film and are very good. Kevin Bacon is great and really creates an absurd yet genuinely funny master stylist, a boy from Nebraska masquerading as a European with kinky highlighted mop hair and a crazy loopy accent.
So perhaps this film is trying to open up the "black" film to a white audience. That might explain why the super hot black male stylist (Bryce Wilson) doesn't get totally smacked down for getting with a white girl, Silverstone. Instead, she proves that she can work it like a black girl and everything is ok. In a more realistic world, the black women would be pissed. I know I would be. There are not enough fine, hard-working black men for all the fine, hard-working black women. Let alone enough for the great number of fine black men who date only white women. That leads to a lot of single black women. I'd be pissed.
Ooh, and the other hottie man-candy is Djimon Hounsou. Shazam! He is so ridiculously beautiful. He has his shirt off only once, which I was surprised by. But you can tell how fine his body is regardless of what he is wearing. I wouldn't say that this is a role in which he shines. He's kind of a blank canvas, meant to be neutrally attractive. His character is made to be widely attractive, and his portrayal is blank for probably the same reason. It's too bad because he is capable of greater depth. I really liked him in the Four Feathers.
Queen Latifa is very good and compelling. She can definitely carry a film like this. She is a little over the top in a few scenes, but is universally lovely throughout and keeps the ball rolling.
So the plot is not the reason to watch this film. It is obvious. Jorge tries to sabotage her, but she holds it together and he gets his comeuppance. And the acting isn't really the reason to watch. There are great side characters, to be sure. Bacon and Sheryl Underwood as Rita the Catfish Lady are great side characters. Silverstone could have been a bit bolder and more confident, instead of wimpy southern-Cher (her character in Clueless). But then her booty-shaking wouldn't have been the surprise that wins over the ladies at the shop.
The reason to watch this film is to spend two hours feeling good about black ladies. When was the last time that happened in your life? It does slip into some stereotypes, which could be precarious for white audiences, but it's cute and simple, as it should be. It's a nice film. And Kevin Bacon is hi-larious. And it gives you quite a few new options if you play Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
As for the director, Billie Woodruff, who previously directed a few pop videos and the Jessica Alba vehicle, Honey (ouch), he does a decent job. I guess I had hoped that when I checked out his IMDB profile that I would find some evidence of his desire to make art. As far as I can tell, he's a workman climbing the Hollywood ladder. Good luck to ya!
