Click to read the article
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:115
Fresh:79
Rotten:36
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: The humor is less sharp and more warm-hearted this time around, and the characters are enjoyable to revisit.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Take a seat, sit back, and get ready for another haircut: Calvin opens up shop once again in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a sequel to the original comedy smash hit. Ice Cube, Cedric the... Take a seat, sit back, and get ready for another haircut: Calvin opens up shop once again in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a sequel to the original comedy smash hit. Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, and Leonard Earl Howze - they're still cutting hair and cutting up in Calvin's shop on the South Side of Chicago, with Oscar®-nominee Queen Latifah joining the fun as Gina, a stylist at the beauty shop next door, and Kenan Thompson stepping in as a rookie trying to earn his clippers. In Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Calvin (Ice Cube) has gotten over his money troubles and is no longer in danger of losing his shop - but his neighborhood is in danger of losing its identity. Intent on "regentrifying" the South Side, a money-hungry corporation is moving into the community with coffee bars, video stores, and a big-name haircut chain, and the area's "mom and pop" establishments are in danger of losing their hometown advantage. While juggling changing situations, new loves, and looking for ways to better their lives, Calvin and his crew have to take a stand to keep the South Side and its businesses in the family. And of course, the crew still has time for its signature Barbershop discussions - outrageous, explosive, and hilarious. The world changes and so do hairdos, but some things never go out of style - you can still say anything at the barbershop. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures is proud to present Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a State Street Pictures and Cube Vision production. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, the film stars Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, Leonard Earl Howze, Kenan Thompson, and Harry Lennix, with a special appearance by Queen Latifah. Barbershop 2: Back in Business is produced by Robert Teitel, George Tillman, Jr., and Alex Gartner from a script by Don D. Scott, based on the characters created by Mark Brown. With executive producers Mark Brown, Ice Cube, and Matt Alvarez, the talented production team includes director of photography Tom Priestley, production designer Robb Wilson King, editor Paul Seydor, costumer Jennifer Bryan, and music by Richard Gibbs, with additional music by Wu-Tang Clan featuring The RZA. [More]
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas, Queen Latifah, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, Leonard Earl Howze
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Screenwriter: Don D. Scott
Producer: Robert Teitel, George Tillman, Alex Gartner, Matt Alvarez
Composer: Richard Gibbs
Studio: MGM/UA
Reviews for Barbershop 2: Back in Business
This smart, feisty comedy is still ghetto-fabulous enough to make you laugh until your short, back and sides ache.
The banter is tighter and funnier, and Calvin's musings on the importance of community seem more heartfelt.
A sorry little excuse of a film created to advertise Pepsi products, Queen Latifah's spin-off movie, and to exploit the success of the first Barbershop.
The concept has eroded from pleasant surprise to charmless franchise, which is ironic, considering that the plot of the second film involves competition from cookie-cutter corporate invaders.
Like going out for a bad meal with a group of people you love being with. You're happy to be in their company; you just wish you didn't leave feeling hungry.
Perhaps if the movie had been funnier, it would've been easier to overlook the bizarre dramatic interludes...
Successful only in sullying the memory of a superior movie that didn't warrant a sequel, particularly one so glaringly lacking in imagination and purpose.
A movie featuring Ice Cube bellowing 'No more profanity!' and meaning it should produce a lot more laughs than this intermittently amusing sequel.
You get the feeling the screenwriter is scraping around inside a mine that wasn't meant to be visited more than once.
Latest News for Barbershop 2: Back in Business
January 10, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Captain Jack and Captain Morgan Set Sail
For the first time in three weeks, studios will pack a Friday with plenty of new releases as four films open or expand nationwide giving the box office chart a major shakeup.... More...
January 12, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Regal "Holiday," A Well-Trodden "Road," A Tepid "Tristan"
This week at the movies brings us films about a risk-averse woman cutting loose ("Last Holiday"), a groundbreaking underdog basketball team ("Glory Road"),... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business at Rotten Tomatoes
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business at IGN
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

