Entertainment :: Movies
Good Hair by Jim Teti
EDGE ContributorFriday Oct 23, 2009 Is Chris Rock the new Michael Moore?! Ok, well maybe not, but the comedian more than proves he can put on a good show with the documentary Good Hair, a rollicking 90-minute venture into the world of weaves and relaxer.
Using the infamous Hair Show in the Atlanta as a focal point and climax, Rock travels across America talking with folks everywhere about their hair woes. Initially, he keeps things close in Atlanta, where several hairdressers are interviewed and asked about the different techniques used to add hair to black women. The subject of relaxer, a universally popular product used to straighten nappy hair, comes up more often than not. This prompts Rock to take his show on the road.
First up is a funny but shocking segment that has him traveling to the relaxer capitol of the world, located in the Midwest. Here, huge vats of the chemicals are mixed as workers stand by, equipped in goggles and protective clothing. This is intercut with a scientist performing an experiment showing the toxicity of the solution, so acidic that it dissolves a soda can within three hours. Keep in mind that this product goes on women’s heads--and even children’s heads as young as three, as we are shown in clips throughout the documentary.
Eventually, Rock’s research leads him to India, where the bulk of this human hair comes from. Here it’s made evident that the native women throughout the land meet at a temple to perform an intense sacrifice by having their head shaved clean with a razor. That hair is combed, sewn, and shipped back to the states where it can be found on thousands of black women at any given time.
In between all of the informative lessons, Rock smartly interjects his findings with funny celebrity interviews. Nia Long, Raven Symone, and yes, even Al Sharpton weigh in on the hair phenomenon. He also conducts interviews on the other end, traveling into local barber shops, and interviewing women who pull in average salaries, yet still continue to buy weaves that cost over a thousand dollars.
Good Hair is a very entertaining effort. Rock keeps the quips coming, and manages to make an interesting commentary on the economy, the pressure to look pretty or what society deems "normal", and ultimately on the general state of black hair today. The documentary proves slightly uneven and haphazard at points structurally, but for a first time effort this is still well executed, funny stuff.
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