"Beauty Shop" is harmless. Harmless in the sense that it tells a story, isn't necessarily offensive, and goes into the old reliable bag of tricks when it comes to entertaining.
If you, like me, have panned down the cast on IMDb.com, you'll see quite an eclectic bunch of actors. Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, Keven Bacon, Andie MacDowell, Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari, Dijmon Hansou, and Keisha Knight-Pulliam--it's as random as random can be...well, so is the script. And, as a result, so is the movie.
Kathy Griffin does an entire act on feeling nervous when white people start speaking black around her--it makes her feel awkward. Now imagine Andie MacDowell shaking her now developing booty and Alicia Silverstone freaking a black man on the dance floor. I think if you were look up the word "awkward" in the dictionary, these two plot points would appear as references to the emotion.
Queen Latifah can't seem to break that aura that you're watching a person playing themselves. Try as she might (or is capable of), she can't make us believe her chemistry with Hansou is realistic, and, though you like "Gina," she can't really make us commit to it, and I can't really say that you like her enough to care that she's having a hard time. All of the supporting characters are basically stereotypical--no one is spared, whether they be the the black girls in the shop, the wannabes who try and adjust, or the white characters who want to fit in that just can't seem to--ergo, we get laughs for situational comedy rather than actual funny writing. And the biggest revelation is that a character that everyone is convinced as gay turns out to be just a metro-sexual who has a prison record and likes white girls. Sorry--that's not enough to make me strive to look past the forest and see the trees.
I know we are being asked to not judge a book by its cover, but, Silverstone's phony "hick from the sticks" accent was waring on my nerves far too much to pick up that message...and, I still can't get past Andie MacDowell being a pivotal character in this film. Her acting prowess is debatable, and she seems to just show up whenever a Southern accent is required in a film. But, it was somewhat nice to see how a former "Cosby Kid" turned out after what must be a huge cross to bear if you're looking to carve out an acting career for yourself.
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