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Cube is once again the charming Calvin Palmer, one of South Side Chicago's most upstanding business owners. But when the nefarious Quentin Leroux (Harry Lennix) shows up across the street with the flashy, hip Nappy Cutz, Calvin's shop is in jeopardy once again. And then there is Gina (Queen Latifah), Calvin's fiery ex, who runs the beauty shop next door. Also back is the bickering staff of barbers (Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity), who must help Calvin decide whether or not to take a payoff from the slimy Alderman Brown (Robert Wisdom). Will Cal once again when out, or will the barbershop close its doors once and for all?

To say the plot of the first Barbershop was integral to its success would probably be an overstatement, but the story matters even less in Barbershop 2. The subtitle Electric Boogaloo would have been apt, for the little-guy-versus-the-mean-old-politican subplot is utterly formulaic, and only an excuse to give Cube and especially Cedric the Entertainer a thin string to hang their jokes off of. But whenever Cedric is in the house, the laughs flow one after another, and Latifah also enlivens her scenes, even if her Bringin' Down the House shtick is wearing thin. I also liked the charming and genuine supporting cast, including Eve, who remains an underrated comedic actress; Garity, who plays dopey with the kind of smarts that make his job thankless; and Thomas, another intelligent young actor who deserves better roles than in dreck like Halloween Resurrection. They give Barbershop 2 a warm authenticity, the kind of place you would like to visit in real-life. Too bad it doesn't actually exist.

Barbershop 2 may be more slight than the first yet it is ultimately less forgettable, not only due to the cast but because screenwriter Don D. Scott smartly weaves in tributes to African- American leaders. And despite the controversy that greeted Cedric's many tirades the first time around, they admirably don't tone him down. Barbershop 2 is occasionally un-PC and all the better for it. This is still an innocuous, ultimately harmless PG-13 comedy, but with enough of a social awareness to give it a kick missing in the vast majority of urban comedies. A Barbershop 3 actually doesn't sound like a bad proposition.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Once again presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, Barbershop looks just as great as the original. The film was given a slightly larger budget this time around, which gives it a bright, clean and sharp look. Minted from a pristine print, colors are reproduced vividly and free of smearing or bleeding, lending the film a very warm and natural feel. Blacks are perfect and contrast is excellent, resulting in an often three-dimensional appearance with very good shadow delineation. Generally free of any edge enhancement, only a very slight veneer of grain distract, along with a couple of instances of some artifacting on solid, nonmoving backgrounds. Minor drawbacks aside, this is a strong presentation.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The included Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is better than the track on the first flick, but still a bit sporadic. The main problem is, again, a lack of a sense of envelopment. Dynamic range is quite good with excellent dialogue reproduction (a must to get all of the jokes), and stereo separation of the music and effects is superior. Surround use is just pretty good, however, with only the occasional rear effect outside of a few of the more rowdy sequels. Tight .1 LFE helps perk the mix up a bit, but I hoped for a livelier experience. A perfectly fine soundtrack, just not very aggressive.

Also included is are French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 surround dubs, English, French and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Although another hit for Ice Cube, Barbershop 2 wasn't quite as big of a grosser as the original, so MGM has not give it quite the same DVD treatment. There are still plenty of extras here, although the lack of any sort of real documentary material is not a plus.

First up we have not one but two screen-specific commentaries, the first a video track with stars Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity and Jazsmin Lewis, and the second a traditional audio chat with director Kevin Rodney Sullivan and producers Robert Teitel and George Tillman. Unfortunately,. the cast track is bland. I will admit that I am not really a fan of the video commentary format - watching a bunch of actors sitting with headphones on is just not visually interesting - but the real problem is that they just don't have much to say. Garity and Thomas hardly say three lines (and Garity's attempts to talk black are cringe-inducing), with only Cedric and Lewis keeping our attention. The filmmakers track is more interesting and lively, covering all of the usual bases: following up a hit film, wrangling the same cast, the un-PC backlash, and coming up with a new story real quick. This is not a commentary for the record books, but a solid effort and superior to the video track.

Up next we have a collection of six deleted scenes and a 6-minute reel of outtakes, both presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. The deleted scenes are pretty good, and include bonus introductions for each by the cast as well as optional director commentary. The outtakes are typical: the cast bursts into laughter, but no one says anything really funny. Slight and skippable.

Rounding it out are promotional items: two music videos ("Not Today" by Mary J. Blige and Sleepy Brown's "I Can't Wait), a short still gallery with 35 photos divided into "Cast" and "On Set" sections, and the film's theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 2.0 surround.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts