Arts & Entertainment
Friday,
April 8, 2005
Volume 33,
Issue 14
Sat, Mar 20, 2010
IN THE SGN
SECTION ONE
Front Page
MORE/ALL
SECTION ONE
STORIES
SECTION TW0
Arts & Entertainment
Queen Latifah |
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| Queen Latifah is clearly the star in wonderfully entertaining Beauty Shop | ||
| by Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid
- SGN A&E Writer
Beauty Shop Directed by Bille Woodruff Starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari, Andie MacDowell, Golden Brooks, Kevin Bacon, Djimon Hounsou, Alfre Woodard (and many more!) Now playing I guess it is time for a vacation when I totally forget to turn in the review of one of the best films Ive seen in some time. One with a starring role for a Black sistuh of size, who proves shes more than a flash in the pan, or a rap star. Oh, and to that writer who wasnt affected by this film, I have only one thing to say: honey check your skull, your brain is missing. That being said, and forgiving myself for my lapse in memory, Beauty Shop is the film that finally gives Queen Latifah a chance to stretch her comic talent. Okay, she already proved to all of us that she can sing, by wowing us in Chicago, but she didnt have enough room to act, and in Beauty Shop, she gets that chance and sets the bar higher than any Black actress has set it for some time, save Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple. Also, she is given a supporting cast of well-known stars, including the always brilliant Alfre Woodard (who hasnt been given nearly enough good roles of late), and ever lovable Andie MacDowell. Heck, even Alicia Silverstone, hamming it up with an almost believable Southern accent looks good in this film, as does the much underused Golden Brooks (Girlfriends). Taking up where Barber Shop left off (and I did see that film!), Beauty Shop gives the women a chance to show off, after Latifah leaves the sweatshop environs of a trendy salon, run by a blond locked Kevin Bacon. Yeah, hes interesting, cute, even, but Latifah, once she is free of this daily grind, really starts to shine. She whips a run-down beauty shop into shape, turns a group of catty Black women into a team, and even works at a little race relations between them and the only white girl in the group (Silverstone), who follows Latifah from Jorges the shop run by Bacon. And in no time, even some of the more expensive clients (MacDowell and Mena Suvari, who plays a bitchy rich client) follow Latifah, who shows that down-to-earth service and attention to detail wins out over trendiness and haughtiness every time. Oh, and she meets Djimon Hounsou, who lives above the shop, plays the piano and ends up fixing her electrical problems, and winning her heart. He is also her saving grace when Jorge, being the jealous bitch that he is, tries to destroy her shop. As is a young Romeo who happens to catch Jorge making plans out of everyones hearing, with a less-than-honest city inspector. In short, alls well that ends well, and theres a lot of lessons on getting along with those who are different and some downhome humor that anyone whos ever sat in a beauty shop chair will get a particular thrill from. Go see this movie and make others go see it, even if you have to educate them about the cultural richness and importance of the Black beauty shop experience. |
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 GENERAL GAYETY Leslie Robinson |
 NOT THINKING STRAIGHT Madelyn Arnold |
