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BY MARK BAZER
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Calvin’s barbershop on Chicago’s South Side has certainly been through a lot these past two years. This time around, the evil forces for Calvin (Ice Cube) to reckon with are Nappy Cutz, a splashy but soulless salon opening across the street, and, more broadly, the eradication by greedy developers of the neighborhood. Very real problems, of course, but, as opposed to what happened in the first Barbershop, you never feel it’s do-or-die for Calvin. What made the first film such a success — the hilarious banter in the shop; the moving but never sappy personal dramas; a respect for history; the true affection for the city; and, of course, the brilliance of Cedric the Entertainer — is still intact. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan (How Stella Got Her Groove Back), the movie ambles at times, and numerous subplots (including one plugging Queen Latifah’s upcoming spinoff flick, Beauty Shop) could have been snipped away. But it’s a good thing they weren’t: the barbershop is a place you never feel like leaving.
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