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Good Hair

(2009, Rated PG-13, Documentary, Starring Chris Rock, Eve, Nia Long, Maya Angelou)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Funny, smart docu explores African-American hair culture.

Themes in this movie include:   gender issues, peer pressure

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Role models:

    Maya Angelou, Tracie Thoms, and an outspoken woman with alopecia stand out as women who say that they're purposely not straightening their hair because they don't think African-American women should have to sport "straighter" hair to be beautiful or accepted in society.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The movie has a positive message about how natural hair can bring "freedom," but most of the interviewees admit that they've bought completely into the idea that they must change their hairstyle in order to be attractive -- even if it means spending lots of money and time to do it.

  • Violence:

    It's not violent, but there's a disturbing description of what a chemical burn caused by a chemical relaxer feels and looks like.

  • Sex:

    Candid conversation about what it's like for men to make love to a woman with a weave (including tips on which positions are best for men not to be tempted to touch their partners' hair -- references include terms like "doggy style"). Plenty of cleavage; women wearing lingerie and bikinis walk around at the hair show, and photos of topless African women are shown briefly during a slideshow of how black women's hairstyles have changed throughout the ages.

  • Language:

    Occasional (but not frequent) strong language like "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," and the "N" word, as well as "ass," "titties," "damn," "hell," and "oh my God."

  • Consumerism:

    Mostly hair products and related industry brands: Bronner Brothers, Dudley hair products, Revlon, Loreal, etc.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Jokes about how hair treatments are more addictive than crack or "the pipe."
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Good Hair

Parents need to know that this Chris Rock documentary includes some mature themes related to race, femininity, and class. There's a fair amount of strong language (a couple of "f--k"s, as well as "s--t," "bitch," and the like), conversations about how hair affects sexual relationships, and consumerism (mostly hair-product brands). Kids will see two approaches -- African-American celebrities like Eve, Raven Symone, and Nia Long are straight up about masking their natural hair with expensive weaves, while a few outspoken women rage against the "slavery" of a straightening regime and sport their natural locks (or, in one case, a bald head).

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the various reasons that African-American women -- and women in general, really -- might want hair other than what they have naturally. How does the obsession with hair specifically affect the African-American community?
  • What message does the documentary convey to young girls? What lessons can be learned by those not in the African-American community?
  • How is African-American beauty depicted in the media and pop culture? Why do you think straight hair is often a part of that depiction?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    ETHIOPIAN PRINCE ...
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    its iight

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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