Barbershop 2

Out to prove you can make a sequel about anything, Ice Cube gathered up his cronies for another round of shit-talking and hair-cutting in Barbershop 2. And, thanks mostly to Cedric the Entertainer—and leastly to the addition of Queen Latifah—it was worth the touch-up. The premise is largely a remix of the original (neighborhood establishment vs. national chain), but Mr. the Entertainer spouts enough gibberish to sustain the laugh quotient, and he tries to do the same for the unspectacular extras. A video commentary track with Cedric and a couple of the no-name cast members lags unless he speaks up, and the introductions to the deleted scenes are worth more than the bonus footage. Video clips of Mary J. Blige and Sleepy Brown (featuring Outkast) soundtrack contributions provide more music than a week's worth of MTV programming before returning to the star of the flick in the outtakes, which trot out more off-the-cuff riffs from Cedric on Starbucks, Sharper Image, and the benefits of Maxim Haircolor for Men. (Well, two out of those three, at least.)