Barbershop
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) | Release Date: September 13, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
It's funny as hell, and I am proud to say that as a card-carrying white guy, I got three, or possibly even four, of the 239 jokes. Read full review
88
New York PostLou Lumenick
Combines big laughs, a big heart and thoroughly winning characters to become the first big surprise of the fall season. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Best of all, and worth the price of admission, is Cedric the Entertainer. Read full review
60
SalonCharles Taylor
So often loose and funny that you'd have to be pretty stingy not to get some pleasure from it. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The film's heart lies in what goes on at Calvin's shop, that haven from the cold, cruel world. Where else can you get philosophy, humor, friendship and a little off the top? Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderTed Shen
Some of the verbal jousts are hot, and a Laurel and Hardy routine involving a stolen ATM is fitfully hilarious, but this reminds me of a pilot for a cable sitcom. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
There is a kind of music to their conversations, now a lullaby, now a march, now a requiem, now hip-hop, and they play with one another like members of an orchestra. The movie's so good to listen to, it would even work as an audio book. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
As warm as it is wise, deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer, providing an experience that is richer than anticipated. Read full review
30
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Good-natured fun when it isn't stale, which is most of the time, this talky comedy set in a Chicago barber shop is a sitcom pilot disguised as a movie. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Here, as in the "Friday" movies, the jokes are big and rude and vulgar and very funny. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Despite the fact that you can see every plot twist a mile off, director Tim Story keeps the script by Mark Brown, Don D. Scott and Marshall Todd rollicking with a jazzy spontaneity. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Ice Cube serves as the film's solid moral center, with a dizzying variety of supporting characters in his orbit. A refreshingly class-conscious comedy-drama that refuses to talk down to its audience, Barbershop tackles serious issues. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
A broad, very funny, unexpectedly graceful comedy of character and community. Read full review
60
Washington PostRichard Harrington
Doesn't always cut it -- and, somewhat embarrassingly, boom mikes hover on screen so frequently they deserve co-billing -- but it's a likable venture that just misses being a lovable one. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The mixed-up rhythms of the story rescue Barbershop from bland goodness. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A stage-y but likable ensemble piece. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Entertaining, surprisingly well-written and often rowdily amusing picture. It is predictable in many ways but also full of heart, humor and personality. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Not everyone is going to appreciate the politics of Barbershop, but you've got to admire it for having a political view at all.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Ray Conlogue
Comes as a pleasure. It's a comic drama set in a Chicago hair salon where the characters are engaging and the story has a bustling richness. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Towers head and hairpiece above much of what passes for urban comedy these days. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Why, in our drum-thumping, ritually trumpeting time, did so little fanfare precede the opening of a movie with so much to recommend it? This is grand entertainment.
80
VarietyRonnie Schieb
A rousing celebration of the family-run small business, this Ice Cube-topped ensemble comedy, without offering anything especially new or exciting, provides a springboard for high-voltage comic exchanges that double as wisecrack-coated lessons in community relations. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Genial but largely predictable ensemble comedy. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
I've seen better movies recently, but it's been a long time since I've left one feeling the easy, full-bellied happiness this one evoked. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
Much like how its employees and patrons don't want to see the barbershop close, once one has become acquainted with these people and this place, one may not want Barbershop to end. Read full review
40
Village VoiceEd Park
As hackneyed as they come, but the overall mood is less cynical than affectionate. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A cogent, optimistic and mostly entertaining slice of ghetto life. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Inlike many directors with music video backgrounds, Tim Story keeps the flashy cutting to a minimum and lets the story unfold at its own unhurried pace. Read full review
60
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
Isn't as funny as it should be. Cedric's speech impediment only goes so far -- he's actually funnier in Serving Sara, without having to rely on a big wig to do his acting for him.
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