...an amiable and mostly funny spotlight on a part of black culture...
Good Hair (2010)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:69
Fresh:65
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Funny, informative, and occasionally sad, Good Hair is a provocative look at the complex relationship between African Americans and their hair.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some language including sex and drug references, and brief partial nudity.
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release:Oct 9, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $4,061,847
Synopsis: In the movie SCHOOL DAZE, Spike Lee staged a dance number in which two bands of African-American college students debated the merits of "Straight and Nappy" hair in song, and now comedian Chris... In the movie SCHOOL DAZE, Spike Lee staged a dance number in which two bands of African-American college students debated the merits of "Straight and Nappy" hair in song, and now comedian Chris Rock and filmmaker Jeff Stilson have extended the conversation to a full-length film in this witty documentary with serious undertones. Rock says he was inspired to make the film when his young daughter asked him, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?" and he and Stilson examine black America's obsession with their hair. They visit the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show, an annual trade show for the African-American haircare industry which includes fierce competitions among stylists from around the country and demonstrations of new hair products and techniques. Along the way, Rock also talks to a number of African-American luminaries about their hair issues (including Maya Angelou, Reverend Al Sharpton, Nia Long, Raven Symone, Ice-T, and Paul Mooney), researches the dangers of many common hair-straightening treatments, reveals the surprising expense of regular hair "relaxing" and weaves, and ponders what the pursuit of straight hair says about African-American cultural identity. GOOD HAIR received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. [More]
Director: Jeff Stilson
Director: Jeff Stilson
Screenwriter: Lance Crouther, Chris Rock, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson
Composer: Marcus Miller
Studio: Roadside Attractions
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Reviews for Good Hair
Mr. Rock and Mr. Stilson don't beat you up with a tiresome polemic a-la Michael Moore. Never does he put himself at the center of the film, condescend to the audience, or insult his interview subjects regardless of their views...
The "Girlfriend, ya gotta see this movie!" of the year for an entertaining and provocative tour of some of the permutations of African-American women with their hair.
Good Hair stands as an informative and entertaining documentary, and one that's pulled off with no small measure of style.
Educates more than it entertains, even though there's plenty of colorful subjects (Chris) Rock could have gently lampooned.
One of the best movies of the year seems to be lost in the Halloween-time shuffle.
Despite the padding, there’s enough interesting sociological digging here -- not to mention the easygoing presence of comic Chris Rock -- to keep us entertained and even enlightened.
Good Hair...uncovers a multibillion dollar industry relying on misinformation, misrepresentation, and misguided personal opinions about fashion to maintain its beauty salon stronghold.
Unlike most documentaries with a message, 'Good Hair' invites moviegoers to a conversation, not a lecture.
Full of sweetly sardonic observations, the docu-comedy is one of the funniest movies of the year.
Rock sheds new light on this old story through a poignant mix of interviews, investigation and his trademark satire.
Who would have thought that Chris Rock would make one of the best documentaries of 2009?
... subject is interesting, [the] treatment is entertaining, and the movie has thoughtful things to say ...
Whatever Rock’s impetus for exploring the wallet-busting, day-consuming, sometimes chemically dangerous desire of black women to achieve European hair, he’s never wanting for laughter.
It's funny, clever and marginally educational. You can tell your friends you went to a documentary without having felt as if you saw one.
Rock is our quick-witted empathetic guide in the film about black women's hair, a topic you might think would be of interest only to black women. You'd be wrong.
It's rich food for thought, though you wonder why little attention is given to the idea that perhaps some women relax their hair because it's easier to style that way, or that elaborate attention to hair is hardly exclusive to black women.
Latest News for Good Hair
October 25, 2009:
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October 05, 2009:
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