I guess that's really not a hard act to follow but
this film is one of the best comedies I've seen in a while. The fact
that it doesn't rely on gross out tactics makes it even better. Becoming
a surprise hit last August (made $80 million), MGM has supplied a great
DVD albeit a little early.
Barbershop tells the story of owner Calvin (Ice Cube) who wants to make
something more of his life and his father's shop doesn't hold any
opportunities. When he sells the shop to a loan shark he begins to have
second thoughts about how much it means to him. He begins to
realized that it's much more than a barbershop but a very important
place to many. Now Calvin must find a way to get his barbershop back by
the end of the day or lose it forever.
Despite the simple story this is pretty engaging. From monolouges at the
barbershop to snippets of two men trying to break into an ATM machine
(don't worry it all falls into place) this will surely produce some
laughs. Every actor gives a great performance and the script is edgy
enough to be engrossing.
Barbershop is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen. Given that the
film is only a few months old the print is in great shape with only a
couple of knicks and scratches. The transfer is great as well with only
some minor pixelization to spoil it. Colors are deep and very sharp.
Audio is presented in an average 5.1 track. The entire film is pretty
much dialouge based but this is fine.
MGM has given this release quite a few extras and these are actually
worth watching for once. Here's how it stacks up:
Audio Commentary:
A very good track featuring director Tim Story,
producers Robert Tietel and George Tillman Jr., and writer Don D. Scott.
This is worth a listen since the way Barbershop was made is actually
quite interesting.
The Hair Club:
4 featurettes, all are full frame with non-anamorphic
clips. "The Final Cut" runs 18 minutes and focuses on the story and
general shooting of the movie. "Set, Press, and Style" runs 5 minutes
and focuses on the set design. "Finishing Touches" runs 6 minutes and
focuses on costume design. "Hairdo's and Don'ts" runs 7 minutes and
looks at the different hairstyles over the years. Each featurette is
well produced and worth watching.
Deleted Scenes:
6 minutes, 7 scenes, non-anamorphic. These scenes are
decent but you can tell they really didn't mesh with the film. Most are
quick cuts anyway. All can be viewed with optional commentary by
director Tim Story.
Outtakes:
Little over 5 minutes, non-anamorphic. These are really
funny, definitely worth watching for the bootleg DVD gag.
Barber School Interactive Game:
A basic trivia game featuring clips of the actors. Actually pretty tough to crack.
"Trade it All" Music Video:
Features Fabolous, P. Diddy, and Jagged Edge.
Misc:
Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery features what the name implies.
The theatrical trailer is anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen.
Not jam packed in the extras department but each feature is worth
watching and not just a bunch of promo fluff.
Packaging is amaray featuring the theatrical poster as the cover. The
film is split into a good 32 chapters, menus are animated with clips
from the film.
Overall, Barbershop is a suprise film that is definitely worth a watch.
MGM has also made a great DVD to back the film up.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
