If you are looking for a hilarious spin-off of Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business, then Beauty Shop is not the movie to see. Queen Latifah leads her cast well in this role but the laughs are not as often as in the original.

Beauty Shop kicks off with Latifah appearing as Gina, a strong-willed hairstylist. She is working in a Southside Chicago salon and is getting tired of her verbally abusive boss, Jorge, played by Kevin Bacon.

With her choice of opening her own salon or staying and taking the abuse, Gina quickly decides to quit and move to Atlanta.

Gina and her daughter, played by Paige Hurd, make the move to the predominantly African-American neighborhood and she begins the process of opening her own shop.

The first obstacle is getting the small-business loan to open the beauty shop. Gina overcomes this obstacle when she wins the approval of the loan officer after she does her hair.

Next, Gina hires the staff, which is a sassy group that fits into the movie with ease. Alicia Silverstone is the shampoo girl with a bad southern drawl and is the shop’s only white employee; Sherri Shepherd is a pregnant staffer; Ida Chanel, played by Golden Brooks and Gina’s niece, is portrayed by, the former Rudy from the Cosby Show, Keshia Knight Pulliam who attracts men that buy her gifts. Barber Shop humor focuses on women’s concerns. These concerns seem to pertain to issues such as cosmetic surgery, interracial romance, body language, and Brazilian waxes which seem to be of high importance to the crew.

The humor in Beauty Shop definitely takes a safer approach than in the comedies Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business.

The movie has its humorous moments through out, but seems to struggle to keep the audience truly entertained.

I personally was a fan of Barbershop and Barbershop 2 and looked forward to Beauty Shop, yet I was disappointed. You should wait until this one comes out on DVD.

I give it three stars.