Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Queen Latifah are back in business for Barbershop 2, a ghetto comedy that "will make you laugh until your short, back and sides ache." While it didn't break any box office records on its theatrical release, it was a modest hit with audiences and has even spawned a movie spin-off for Latifah. Beauty Shop - due for release in early 2005 - will pit her against the comic stylings of a gay Kevin Bacon. And we don't mean gay as in happy...

Curl Up And Dye Laughing

The cast provide lively intros for six deleted scenes - the funniest of which is obviously improvised. It sees Cedric The Entertainer trying to push Kenan Thompson out of the family nest, throwing out such bizarre lines as: "A monkey can climb up a tree, but it don't mean you get free cable." Think about it.

Cedric's freestyling antics also stand out in the hilarious outtakes reel - seriously, this guy needs his own sketch show or something. He spouts more offhand pearls of wisdom, like "Life is a suitcase full of barbers," while Ice Cube struggles to keep a straight face - and fails miserably.

The Cutting Room Floor

It's a shame Cedric wasn't around for the audio commentary, but director Kevin Rodney Sullivan, along with producers Robert Teitel and George Tillman, do a pretty good job by themselves. They offer lots of insight into the creative process, including the various rewrites that were required to "top the original" - citing Godfather 2 as the inspiration for the Cedric flashbacks!

It's also clear that the men enjoy each other's company, frequently cracking each other up with wacky behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Among these Williamson reveals that Ice Cube's baby son had to be played by twins due to the child labour laws. Unfortunately the twins he cast didn't look anything alike so one of them ended up on the cutting room floor. Ouch!

Cut To The Quick

Click on the hairspray can, on the lower right-hand side of the second special features menu, and you'll also find a behind-the-scenes featurette. Cast and crew participate in an animated Mars and Venus debate on whether men really do gossip more than women...

Rounding out this "phat" package (sorry) are two behind-the-scenes photo galleries and music videos by Sleepy Brown and Mary J Blige. The latter also features extended footage, so it plays more like a short film that cleverly riffs on scenes within the movie. It's a novel addition to a selection of bonus features that's just as comical, wild, and irreverent as Cedric's Don King-wannabe Afro.

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