Superstars As Barbers: 5 Great Films to Check Out

Barbershop (2002)

Staring: Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, & More!
Genre: Comedy/Drama
MPA Rating: PG-13

Barbershop portrays the concept of a barbershop as a community hub more than any other film. It’s about Calvin (played by iconic rapper Ice Cube), who inherits his father’s failing barbershop in Chicago’s South Side and decides to sell it to a loan shark. Calvin realizes, too late, just how vital the shop is to the local community. Together, the barbershop crew leans on each other to preserve a place where people can nurture personal connections and collective identity.

Cedric the Entertainer, who plays veteran barber Eddie, delivers a line to Calvin that says everything about the film: “Your daddy, he believed that something as simple as a little haircut could change the way a man felt on the inside.”

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Staring: Johnny Depp
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
MPA Rating: PG-13

Look, we know Edward Scissorhands isn’t technically about a barber, but who can resist a blockbuster whose captivating protagonist leans on unorthodox barbering techniques with scissors for hands?

In this Tim Burton fantasy, Johnny Depp plays Edward, a man created by an inventor who gave him scissors instead of hands. The inventor suddenly dies, leaving Edward to fend for himself in the outside world, which he’d never seen. A family takes him in, and Edward discovers that the trait for which he’s most feared is his secret to success and love; his fast-and-furious haircuts are the height of fashion!

Coming to America (1988)

Staring: Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall
Genre: Romantic comedy
MPA Rating: R

Before Tyler Perry came along, there was this comedy classic where Eddie Murphy plays an African crown prince, Akeem (and a few other roles as well!). Akeem comes to America in search of a wife who will love him for who he is, not because he’s royalty. He’s accompanied by his aide, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), and the two wind up working at a McDonald’s knockoff, McDowell’s.

A local barber shop becomes a social outlet for Akeem, Semmi, and the characters they meet—including two elderly barbers (played by Murphy and Hall themselves) who share their hilarious opinions on countless topics with anyone who will listen. These scenes have viewers wishing they could work in a barber shop just for the laughs.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Staring: Johnny Depp
Genre: Drama/Horror/Musical
MPA Rating: R

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are at it again in this comedy/horror musical. Depp plays barber Sweeney Todd, who was wrongfully imprisoned for heinous crimes against his wife…causing him to seek revenge once he’s released. Together with his landlady, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), Todd goes on a killing spree with a tool of trade: a straight razor.

This iconic story serves as an excellent reminder that a sharp razor is a barber’s best friend.

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

Staring: Billy Bob Thornton
Genre: Crime/Drama
MPA Rating: R

In the tradition of the noir films of the 1940s, the Coen brothers showcase the story of Ed Crane (Thornton). Crane is a reclusive barber in California who suspects his wife is cheating on him with her boss. When a stranger comes into his barber shop and offers Ed an opportunity to partner with him in an exciting new business, Ed sees his chance to humiliate his wife’s lover. Ed blackmails his wife’s boss but winds up caught in a web of murder and mayhem he never expected.

Critics loved this movie, which got a directorial award at the Cannes Film Festival. Though Ed the Barber is a tragic figure, he’s a sympathetic everyman who will have you wondering what your quiet local barber is really up to.