By: debbie lynn elias
With a Southern mother who has lived in a beauty shop for the past some 60 years (I kid you not), how could I possibly pass up this movie. I couldn’t and neither should you!
Queen Latifah brings down the house again with her riotously sassy portrayal of hair stylist Gina Norris. Last seen hangin’ near the “Barbershop”, Gina has moved onward and upward to the hoity-toity section of Atlanta, Georgia, primarily to allow her piano prodigy daughter Vanessa to attend a prestigious music academy. Given Gina’s talent and abundant personality, she soon finds herself the belle of the ball in the eyes of those hair-sprayed Southern society mavens who clamor for Gina’s trendsetting styles, but nothing more than cheap labor in the eyes of her new boss, beauty shop owner Jorge Christophe. Seems that the European Christophe has an ego bigger than Europe itself and its never more apparent than when he takes all the credit for Gina’s incredible creations. Not one to be taken for granted, Gina tells Christophe where he can stick his hair drier and strikes out on her own opening her own “Beauty Shop.”
With nothing more than the slightly sudsy shampoo girl Lynn in tow (who also tells Christophe to put it where the hair spray can don’t shine), Gina finds herself what is probably the most rundown salon in Atlanta (obviously still in ruins from Sherman’s march) and proceeds to make her dreams come true. The good news – some willing (and quite eccentric) stylists who come with the salon, the most intriguingly kaleidoscopic group of clientele and for just a little bit of romantic friction, one sexy electrician named Joe.
Starting with a stylish make over for the salon, Gina soon finds herself elbow deep in coloring solution as she tries to bring the stylists over to her way of thinking, win over the old timers with her new ways and above all, get old society gals from Christophe’s to cross over the tracks and integrate the neighborhood…and all of it with one raucous round of laughter after another.
The casting is as eclectic as the characters themselves. The Queen is nothing short of regal as Gina. With a diva attitude and a rapid fire delivery that is only surpassed by her comedic visuals, who could not want to dish the dirt with the girls on a Saturday afternoon at the salon. Alicia Silverstone as the squeaky clean naive country bumpkin Lynn is a perfect counterpart to Latifah. Always under-rated as a comedienne, Silverstone more than proves her mettle and shines; eliciting laughs with every look and syllable uttered. Alfre Woodard is a hoot and a holler as the Maya Angelou quoting Miss Josephine while Andie MacDowell is chaotically charming as society maven Terri Green. But, complete with one of the worst perms in history (although my mother has given me worse), it’s Kevin Bacon who steals every scene as the Euro-trash Jorge Christophe. From the moment he hits the screen, your sides start aching with laughter. And I would be remiss not to mention some delightful li! ttle cameos by Della Reese as Mrs Towner and the once cute as can be Rudy Huxtable, Keshia Knight Pulliam, as Darnelle.
Written by Kate Lanier and Norman Vance, Jr., the plot is essentially formulaic and cookie-cutter but manages to rise above the average and mundane with some rather risque and spiced up dialogue, some brassy broads (and brawn) and the skilled eye of director of Bille Woodruff. “Beauty Shop” could have been just another ho-hum new release that hits DVD the following week, but thanks to the chemistry of the cast and the good sense of Woodruff to see that and run with it, and nailing the entire beauty shop experience and concept to a tee, we have a sure fire winner that capitalizes on its assets. Another asset is the beauty shop itself. Without such a well-known commodity as a back drop to the daily dish-the-dirt sessions, a lot of the punch would have been punchless. And the setting of Atlanta, integrating the remains of the old South with the new hip-hop is worth its weight in hair clips! One downfall – a slow start with some uneven pacing that doesn’t find its footing until! just about halfway into the film. A big plus – the second half more than makes up for the any flaws early on.
So come on – pull up a chair, put your head back and join in the fun and frolic of “Beauty Shop.” It’s guaranteed to shampoo your troubles away.
Gina Norris: Queen Latifah
Lynn: Alicia Silverstone
Jorge Christophe: Kevin Bacon
Terri Green: Andie MacDowell
Miss Josephine: Alfre Woodard: Terri Green
Directed by Bille Woodruff. Written by Kate Lanier and Norman Vance, Jr. based on a story by Elizabeth Hunter. Rated PG-13.
