The progression of Ice Cube from musician to credible leading man was given a boost by his self-assured performance here as Calvin Palmer, the jaded owner of a Chicago hairdressing salon that's threatened with foreclosure. A warm but far from tame slice-of-life comedy, it follows the salon through what could be its last day, as barbers and their customers trade jokes and neighbourhood gossip, and Calvin struggles to come up with the cash. The message in director Tim Story's movie, that the establishment - and, by implication, tradition - is vital to the community, is short on subtlety, and a slapstick subplot about a stolen cash dispenser is a needless distraction. However, the camaraderie and antagonistic banter of the workplace are well observed and brightly performed - particularly by stand-up comedian Cedric the Entertainer, who plays a veteran, fearlessly non-PC barber with belligerent gusto.

A day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Calvin, who inherited the struggling business from his deceased father, views the shop as nothing but a burden and waste of his time. After selling the shop to a local loan shark, Calvin slowly begins to see his father's vision and legacy and struggles with the notion that he just sold it out.