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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

age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

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.

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.

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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