Hair Show (2004) / Comedy

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for language and sexual humor
Running Time: 105 min.

Cast: Mo'Nique, Kellita Smith, David Ramsey, Taraji P. Henson, Joe Torry, Gina Torres, Keiko Agena, Vivica A. Fox
Director: Leslie Small
Screenplay: Andrea Allen-Wiley, Devon Greggory, Sherri Mcgee
Review published October 20, 2004

Here's the silly plot: Peaches (Mo'Nique) is a Baltimore hair stylist who travels to Beverly Hills to work in her sister's upscale beauty salon in order to try to pay back $50,000 she owes to the IRS.  It just so happens that there is a hair show being put on in town that is offering the winner $50,000.  Gee, I wonder what happens at the end?

A feebly executed mess despite a likeable collection of actors, Hair Show ranks as one of the most tedious movie-watching experiences I've had to endure this year.  There's about 15 minutes of plot, padded out with about 90 minutes of interaction from an assortment of completely eccentric and stereotypical personalities, muddled to death with quick cut stylistics and background music from beginning to end. 

This is the rare movie where I sat looking at the screen for 10 or 15 minutes at a time and completely zoned out, thinking about personal things, like the idiot who scratched my car and what I'd like to eat after the movie.  Despite the fact that this movie bored me into the longest prolonged period of self-reflection in recent memory, at no time was I ever lost as to what was going on.  Yes, the story is so anemic that absolutely nothing goes on from scene to scene for about 80% of the running time. 

Watch either of the Barbershop movies, or wait for the upcoming Queen Latifah flick, Beauty Shop, if you need to see sitcom hairstyling antics.  Hair Show is harebrained.

Qwipster's rating:

©2004 Vince Leo