Ice Cube and the hair-cutting gang from South Chicago return in the fourth installment to the “Barbershop” series, this time directed by Malcolm D Lee. In “Barbershop: The Next Cut”, It’s been more than 10 years since our last appointment at Calvin’s Barbershop. Calvin (Ice Cube) and his longtime crew are still there, but the shop and neighborhood alike have undergone some major changes. Most noticeably, our once male-dominated sanctuary is now co-ed. The ladies (Led by Regina Hall and Nicki Minaj) bring their own flavor, drama and gossip to the shop, challenging the fellas at every turn. Despite the good times and camaraderie within the shop, the surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, forcing Calvin and our crew to come together to not only save the shop, but their neighborhood from the city losing its last original institution. The film also returns veterans Cedric The Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Eve. The movie is rated PG-13 for sexual material and adult language.

After 12 long years, “Barbershop: The Next Cut” is the sequel that fans of the original movies deserve. In one sentence, this is nearly the best edition of the series for it’s heartfelt script in message that never sacrifices integrity for cheap laughs. Lee’s movie is so much more than just another sequel comedy, complacent enough in living by the rules in sticking to jokes that had to do with previous movies. Immediatly when the movie begins, we are asked quite literally by one of the former cast members “What happened to the old Barbershop?”. That question can be answered loudly and proudly that it’s gone, and should never come back. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the first two Barbershop films, but the third installment goes into meaningful territory that those other movies only flirted with. These are adults who have lived on the Southside of Chicago their whole lives, and they see their neighborhood changing for the worst. This is something that I found myself easily relating to, and finding respect for a script that casts a light over some of the darker side of gang violence that is plaguing modern day America. What I loved about the opening narration and visuals is how self aware the film is for how much time has passed between installments, thus opting for a brief history lesson that is educational for the Chicago community in this film, as well as surrounding audiences who too have gone through the same steps backwards. The world is reversing even if the movie does anything but.

On the topic of the cast, it didn’t really hit me until about fifteen minutes into the movie that this is an 80% fresh cast of barbers who we are viewing for the first time in the series. This is something that would normally come across as suicidal for a comedy trilogy, but these rookies are welcome additions to the richly entertaining comical commentary that they offer for black celebrities. Regina Hall continues her streak of outside-of-the-box roles, as Calvin’s partner in combining the two shops. Their on-screen chemistry feels like we have been watching the duo for the entirety of the series, and they both play against stereotype for this film. Cube isn’t the usual grit-faced tough guy gangster that he is known for playing. As Calvin, he’s a parent trying to do the best for the person he loves most; his son. With the neighborhood changing, Calvin notices some negative impacts on that of his kin, and we feel that emotional bond being broken while Calvin searches for anything to save him before it’s too late. That underlying issue gives the movie a very surreal foe to fight, as opposed to the snobby businessmen who paraded around in the first two films. “New Girl’s” Lamorne Morris is probably my favorite new addition to this series. Morris usual sitcom schtick feels like a perfect blend of sarcastic wit and on-time delivery that pays off in triples for the most in every laugh. With it being 2016, the film takes on promotional directions with social media sites like Twitter, and Morris acts as the shop’s interractive voice for the community around.

There were a couple of things that hurt the movie, but never enough to take it down more than a grade. As I just mentioned the cast, there are some creative choices that needed balanced a little better. The characters of JB Smoove and Nicki Minaj are on-screen for FAR TOO LONG. Smoove improvs most of his banter, and it just reaches insufferable levels, dragging out the most of scenes that should’ve been done minutes ago. Minaj isn’t a terrible actress, she just lacks the kind of depth early on in her career to make her character anything other than her popstar alter ego. Her character feels like a villain who never quite suffers for the hurtful decisions she makes to other people. It made for the least enjoyable of characters, and I honestly could’ve done fine without her. The movie has several long running scenes with both of these characters, while cutting short some of the other characters who needed a little more expositional development. Utkarsh Ambudkar offers a nice Indian side to the shop’s racial tensions, and it would’ve been nice to know a little more about the shop’s easily most intelligent character. Eve is also virtually forgotten, settling for a part-time cameo that makes us miss the attitude of her turns. Aside from this, the film feels a little stale by the third act climax that is every bit predictable as it is cluttered. The film takes on a lot of issues, and I appreciated that so it didn’t fall into just another comedy sequel. The problem is that some of these conflicts should’ve been solved well before this last act, and it feels like too many things are hitting from many different directions.

Overall, “Barbershop: The Next Cut” is a sweet breath of creative fresh air for a series that felt a little redundant, even by the end of the second film. Malcolm D. Lee’s script is thought-provoking and finds itself just too good to settle for cheap third movie gags. It’s a reminder that while things out of our control will change, it’s the things that stay the same that will be our saving grace. Friends….family…….love

7/10