Beauty Shop

This formulaic spinoff of the Barbershop franchise is all sass with only a faded streak or two of originality. Queen Latifah is a bubbly fountain of goodwill and optimism as hairstylist Gina Norris, who vacates her chair at a chic Atlanta salon run by a Eurotrash narcissist (Kevin Bacon with a flamboyant swish) and opens up her own shop. Her challenge to turn a dilapidated storefront into a thriving business plays like a sort of comic soap opera in which social commentary can faintly be heard scratching over a loud parade of colorful but stilted characters and behind a wall of broad, strained humor. The cast includes Alfre Woodard, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Della Reese and Djimon Hounsou. Directed by Bille Woodruff.