Colored weaves, Southern accents and catfish can all be found at Gina's Salon. Beauty Shop, which is a spin-off of Ice Cube's Barber Shop 2, is hilarious. Although the conversations at Gina's Salon are not as controversial as the ones spoken at Calvin's barber shop, the conversations are just as juicy -- and the cast as colorful.
In Beauty Shop, Gina Norris, who is played by Queen Latifah, is the sassy, in-your-face stylist and beauty shop owner. We first encounter Gina in Barber Shop 2 as Calvin's smart-mouthed ex-girlfriend, who is not afraid to verbally go toe-to-toe with Eddie, the senior citizen barber known for his Don King hair and his colorful commentaries.
Gina moves from the Windy City to hot Atlanta, and works at an up-scale salon, where Jorge Christophe, played by Kevin Bacon, is the over-the-top, finger-snapping, narcissistic hairstylist and owner. He always refers to himself in the third-person. For instance, he tells Gina, "The best thing that happened to Jorge is Jorge."
In addition to his self-indulgence, Jorge demeans his staff -- especially Gina. When he sees the taped-up picture of Calvin's barber shop staff, Jorge snatches the photo off of Gina's mirror, and says, "This is an up-scale salon," adding that she shouldn't buy her frames at K-Mart.
Fed up with this treatment, Gina quits -- she wants to have her own salon. At first, Gina is denied a loan because, as the banker explains, she did not have the 3 C's: credit, collateral, and capital. In typical Gina behavior, she says the third C is color.
Not being deterred, Gina notices that the banker has her eye on a male co-worker. When the banker is in the bathroom, Gina creates a glamorous hairstyle for her using neon colored paper-clips. She is so impressed with Gina's skills that she approves the loan.
Using the loan, Gina purchases a '70s, retro-inspired salon, which desperately needs a makeover. After the decorum is changed from outdated red velvet to a welcoming white and a picture of Madame C. Walker hanging on its wall, Gina is ready for business.
Gina's staff is just as hilarious as Calvin's -- maybe a little more so. There is Miss Josephine, the Afrocentric hairdresser, who is insistent that her smock have kente cloth. She always recites Maya Angelou's poems, including "Phenomenal Woman," and "Still I Rise."
Lynn, played by Alicia Silverstone, is the lone white hairstylist. Like Isaac in Calvin's barber shop, she has a hard time getting customers, because the clientele, which is predominately African-American, aren't sure if Lynn knows how to "work with" their hair texture.
Donning a different color weave almost everyday, Ida (Sherri Sheppard), is the pregnant, over-the-tophair dresser. Her partner in crime is the out-spoken Chanel (Golden Brooks), who has enough attitude for two people. Like Ida, she is not afraid to voice her opinions, even if they are politically incorrect. She does not welcome Lynn -- she reasons, "what a white girl know about black hair?"
Last, but not least, there is James, who is the only man in the salon. At first, all the staff thinks he is cute, but then they began to question his sexuality when he lifts his pinkie finger while he drinks tea, wears a pocketbook, which he calls a "man-bag," and dances and sings to Salt-N-Pepa's rap song, "I'll Take Your Man."
Needless to say, the cast of Beauty Shop is funny and unpredictable. Every character adds to the craziness and drama that can only be found at Gina's salon.
