Good Hair – "Not Quite Bangs For Your Buck"

Directed by Jeff Stilson
Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar

Chris Rock has grown up. Now a father with two young children, he has gone the way of many comics before him to make films that downplay his once wilder material in favor of calmer, family friendly fare. The exception being, instead of lowering himself into dreary morality tales with lowest common denominator laughs, he has stepped forward to make a love note documentary to his daughters. Rock feels charged with a quest to investigate the varied aspects of black hair culture after one day being asked, “Daddy do I have good hair?”

Rock assembles black people of all kinds to discuss their viewpoints on the subject of African hair. Celebrities, beauticians, product manufacturers, average customers and even Dr. Maya Angelou weigh in with their thoughts. Unfortunately the Puffy “P-Diddy” Combs is not present, a reflection of how despite being a Chris Rock film, the focus is not on humor. The majority opinion of those who are present seems to be that nappy equals bad, while doing anything it takes to have straight, smooth hair equals good. Everything under the sun is analyzed, from chemical relaxers to weaves of false hair. The industry itself is taken to task, first for predicating the use of dangerous toxins as sodium hydroxide and second for not having enough Black people profiting off of such a uniquely Black market. As the film weaves between Rock exploring the outlandish pain and price men and (mostly) women are willing to put themselves through for the sake of a western concept of hair, the film ends up uneven.

The plot is loose enough to run your hands through, and the editing could have used a good braiding. Whether it was a lack of usable footage or a directorial choice, the cutaways to Rock, especially during interviews, are often distracting and serve no purpose on screen. Strands of intrigue are intercut with an unnecessary sub-television worthy competition for the best hair stylist at an annual hair convention in Atlanta. None of the contestants are relatable and reflect the industry itself in being out of touch with reality. Too much time is devoted to just repeating the same few facts we are given about them. In a film about hair, do we need to see one of the contestants subject himself to Botox injections? The lead up to the competition is supposed to give the film its narrative thrust, but it ends up boring compared to the facts and opinions of the bigger subject at hand. And watching the competition itself, which ends up not being about the hair at all, feels totally unnecessary. We get that the industry is backwards and ridiculous without the lives of the contestants illustrating it for us.

The best bits are when Rock is trying to get to the root of it all. He investigates the subject of “weaves”, a fashion of wigs and false hair that are woven into natural hair that is immensely popular right now. Its origin is that most come from India, where the hair is shorn as part of religious ritual. The Temple sells the hair to the highest bidder, who then exports it and sells it for thousands of dollars apiece. Apparently, the Temple is second only to the Vatican in profits. Meanwhile at your average beauty shop in Harlem, normal American women are taking out layaway plans on hair pieces that they can’t afford, and Rock is there to ask “why?”

The answer seems to be nothing more than striving to be fashionable and accepted. This is an interesting aspect of it all, because as it is pointed out, some people are making hair a priority over food, rent or education. Rev. Al Sharpton speaks out against this, but at the same time, he is sporting the same slick hair he has had since James Brown took him to the White House to meet with President Reagan. Could Sharpton be taken seriously by the President if he walked in with natural African hair? A group of high school girls interviewed make the point that if one was to go to a business meeting wearing a suit and tie with a huge afro, that it would seem to be a contradiction between proper and inappropriate attire. As with most documentary subjects, a solution to the bigger problem is not given. Rock and Director Jeff Stilson do a fair job laying out the issues at hand (why would someone put a dangerous chemical all over their three-year-old daughter’s head?), but with shoddy technical work, and too much concentration off the narrative thrust, the film isn’t as hair raising as it intends to be.


**1/2 Two and a half Stars – Take it or Leave it

Good Hair is in select theaters now.