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Parents' Guide to

Beauty Shop

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

So-so movie with great cast pushes PG-13 limits.

Movie PG-13 2005 105 minutes
Beauty Shop Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

Lowe's man
Lowe's man Adult
March 5, 2014
age 13+

good with some isolated problem areas

Language should be a concern for parents of children 13 or younger, especially with the way one boy talks about women and certain body parts. Having said that, this movie does have a couple strong points, including strong, independent women who start their own business who eventually find out what their old boss was really up to. And, after a slow start, their new business ultimately succeeds. It sends the message that there comes a point where you need to leave your job if you're in a hostile work environment.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Queen Latifah plays Gina, a single mom who walks out of her job working for the Man, the supercilious Jorge (Kevin Bacon) so she can start her own beauty shop. She brings along sweet Lynn (Alicia Silverstone) for a bit of reverse-racism humor and takes on irascible Miss Josephine (Alfre Woodard) for those "No! She did not just say that!" moments. Keshia Knight Pulliam, once little Rudy on "The Cosby Show," is all grown up as Darnelle, Gina's relative who has to learn that a job is more rewarding than getting bling from dates. Like Barbershop, future of Gina's shop is on the line, there is an ex-con (Bryce Wilson) to raise questions about, but most of all, this is a chance to listen in on some outrageously spicy conversations.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Beauty Shop is a sort of Barbershop 2.0, with Queen Latifah replacing Ice Cube, Alicia Silverstone as Troy Garrity, and Alfre Woodard as Cedric the Entertainer. The script has a second-hand feeling and what plot there is seems like an afterthought, awkward and inconsistent. A big fuss over a possible sale of Gina's special conditioner to Cover Girl fizzles out (Latifah is spokesmodel for Cover Girl).

What the movie has going for it is attractive performers who make it work much better than it should, especially the wonderfully warm and appealing Queen Latifah and certified dreamboat Djimon Hounsou as the electrician who lives upstairs. Silverstone, and Andie MacDowell and Mena Suvari as Gina's customers, do their best but are never able to make their one-note roles rise above the weak screenplay. In other words, this one needs a makeover.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why some of the white and black characters are resistant to becoming friends with each other and why others are not. What lessons does Gina teach Willie and Darnelle?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: April 1, 2005
  • On DVD or streaming: August 23, 2005
  • Cast: Alicia Silverstone , Andie MacDowell , Queen Latifah
  • Director: Bille Woodruff
  • Inclusion Information: Black directors, Female actors, Black actors
  • Studio: MGM/UA
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 105 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: sexual material, language and brief drug references.
  • Last updated: June 19, 2023

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