I had never seen a Barbershop movie, and I’m not going to lie: I agreed to watch this one because Nicki Minaj is wearing American flag leggings on the poster. I am happy to report that (1) Nicki Minaj does wear those leggings in the movie and (2) this is a pretty decent movie!
Here’s what I now know about the barbershop in Barbershop: The Next Cut: It’s Calvin’s Barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, and it serves as a refuge in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood—a safe space where gangsters have to lock up their guns so they can shoot the shit with some friendly barbers. The Next Cut offers an admirable, earnest take on the street violence plaguing Chicago as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, and it’s all interspersed with hilarious bickering about everything from reverse racism (not a thing!) to slut-shaming (don’t!) to whether or not Obama’s got a side-piece (some say… yes?).
