What's intact from the original is the premise's big heart and the wonderful ensemble led by Ice Cube.
Comment
02/06/04
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)
69
%
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Reviews for Barbershop 2: Back in Business
There's no question Eddie was the chief asset of the first film, and sequels are required by law to exploit the original's strengths. But the filmmakers have misread Eddie's appeal.
02/06/04
The high-velocity comic additions provided by Latifah and the flashbacks relating to Eddie's youth are enough to make this sequel one more sharp cut.
02/06/04
Picks up where the first film ended by celebrating community, exploring responsibility to one's neighborhood and, most important, providing big, big laughs.
02/06/04
The filmmakers clearly put considerable thought and imagination into making as a good a sequel as they could.
02/06/04
Top CriticConstantly engaged and intelligent while generally conscious of retaining the entertaining goods, Barbershop 2 is anything but your business-as-usual sequel.
02/06/04
These characters really are like old friends -- there's something almost comforting about going back and hanging out with them again.
02/06/04
What Barbershop 2: Back In Business lacks in stealth and surprise, it makes up for in style and confidence.
02/06/04
As funny as the first movie, but it's narratively scattered.
02/06/04
A better, funnier, more closely cropped movie than its enjoyable predecessor.
02/06/04
[Eddie's] irrepressible spirit remains the key to the movie.
02/06/04
This one's a winner by more than a hair.
02/06/04
Top CriticA movie that cares about its audience, cares about the concept of community and makes you laugh time after time after time.
02/06/04
Funny and entertaining.
02/06/04
Barbershop 2 is that rare exception of a sequel that actually surpasses the original.
02/06/04
A warm and tasty second helping complete with smart visual flourishes, strong laughs and a willingness to take a few bittersweet cuts with its scissors.
02/06/04
A generous and infectious blending of the old school with the fresh.
02/06/04
The first film arrived with freshness and an unexpected zing, but this one seems too content to follow in its footsteps.
02/06/04
Top Criticimproves on its predecessor
02/06/04
Too often we're locked out of the barbershop and stuck in a bad movie, our faces pressed up desperately against the window.
02/06/04
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