In the ’80s, “Cheers” told us that sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.
Actually, how about Monk’s Restaurant portrayed in “Seinfeld”? Or perhaps a mall to portray the decline of America’s youth in “Mallrats”?
Then again, why not an inner-city barbershop to illustrate the difference in culture?
Calvin Palmer (Ice Cube) has yet to realize the asset of his grandfather’s barbershop, which opened in 1953.
Pressured by the bank, he must come up with enough money to pay the property tax or be shut down.
Calvin takes the easy way out by unloading his store to a street hustler.
Throughout the movie, Calvin is cautioned not to sell his business in the interest of the neighborhood. He stumbles upon the realization that a sense of community has more power than money. In his attempt to make up for his mistake, he tries to buy it back, only to be charged an additional $20,000.
Everything in between the main storyboard is mostly social commentary acted out by a cast of characters who fit their roles well. The lives the characters lead often conflict with another person in the store. Odd couple Jimmy James and Isaac Rosenberg (Sean Patrick Thomas and Troy Garity) confront each other’s identity problems. Isaac, a white man living as a black man, can’t relate to black college student Jimmy and his elitist idealism or his value of higher education.
Somewhere along the line, people in the neighborhood have earned more respect coming out of prison than college. The concept of higher education is frowned upon in this southern Chicago community.
“Barbershop” confronts these differences by getting its characters to understand each other by listening. And in case you missed it, that’s the elusive underlying plot. We can get along with each other by tolerating the small differences between us.
Students can relate to “Barbershop” because they are living in a college town that supports many small businesses. We see many of our favorite places go under, leaving the community poorer for it.
It is clear that Calvin’s shop is a staple in the community, and the sale of it would cripple the neighborhood.
It’s up to him to battle the pressures of all aspects of society, such as finance and crime, that face small business owners.
What makes “Barbershop” a good movie are the two stories we follow throughout the movie. A crash-and-dash tactic used to steal an ATM machine is ultimately connected to the barbershop and it will become clear to observant audience members how it pulls Calvin out of his jam.
