Good Hair is an American documentary 2009 directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Being premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, Good Hair has a limited release to theaters in the United States by Roadside Attractions on October 9, 2009, and opened across the country on October 23.
The film focuses on the problem of how African-American women have felt their hair and are historically styled. The film explores the current styling industry for black women, a picture of what is considered acceptable and desirable for African-American female hair in the United States, and their relationship to African American culture.
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According to Rock, he was inspired to make a movie after his three-year-old daughter, Lola, asked him, "Daddy, how can I not have good hair?" She has curly, curly hair typical of many people of African descent. He realized he had absorbed the perception among some blacks that curly hair is not "good".
Rock dug up the $ 9 billion black hair industry, and visited places like beauty salons, barbers, and hair styling conventions to explore popular approaches to styling. He visited scientific laboratories to study the science behind chemical remedies that straighten hair.
Stone is meant to explore the topic seriously, but with humor. The film features interviews from hair care industry entrepreneurs, stylist (Derek J, Jason Griggers and others) and their customers, and celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, T-Pain, Raven-Symonà ©, Maya Angelou, KRS-One, Salt-n-Pepa, Kerry Washington, Eve, Reverend Al Sharpton, Andre Harrell, Tracie Thoms, Lauren London, and Meagan Good. These community figures discuss their experiences with their own hair, and the problem of how various types and characteristics of black hair are felt in the black community.
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Themes
Rock explores why black women adopt so many different styles for their hair. Techniques designed to straighten hair are apparently intended to give European hair (or "white") characteristics. Another style creates intricate designs associated with African tradition and the latest innovations in fashion. Rock was quoted as saying, "I know women want to be beautiful, but I do not know how long they will go, when they will spend - and do not complain about it, in fact, they look forward to it.
Interview with community leaders
The film features interviews with prominent entertainers and other public figures, including Nia Long, Ice-T, Raven-Symonà ©, Maya Angelou, Salt-n-Pepa, Eve, Tracie Thoms, and Reverend Al Sharpton. They give opinions about "nice hair" and tell personal experiences in handling their hair.
Nia Long said, "There's always this kind of pressure in the black community like, if you have good hair, you are prettier or better than a brown-skinned girl wearing Afro or dreads or natural hairstyles."
In Jeannette Catsoulis's review of the film, she notes that Rock questions why African-American women adopt the concept of "beauty" that is not based on the natural characteristics of their hair. Some people undergo sometimes painful hair treatments to achieve this definition of beauty. If treatments, such as hair relaxers, are done incorrectly, they can cause hair loss or burns on the scalp.
Al Sharpton said, "We use our economic oppression on our heads." He refers to the hair business, which generates billions of dollars in revenues and has shifted from African-American producers to Asian manufacturers, diverting profits from industry out of the African-American community.
To gain insight into cultural issues, Rock also interviewed students and faculty at Santa Monica High School, customers at hair and barber salons, and hairdressers. He visited Dudley Products, one of the few African-American companies that make hair products for the African-American community.
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. Good Hair currently holds a 95% "fresh certified" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website based on aggregate based on 78 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10. Another review aggregation website, Metacritic , based on 100 reviews from major critics, gave the film an average score of 72/100 based on 27 reviews. It received a Special Jury Prize Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Good Hair opened in a limited release on October 9, 2009, becoming the fourteenth best-selling movie for the weekend of 9-11 October 2009 with $ 1,039,220 in 186 theaters averaging $ 5,588. The film was expanded to 466 theaters on October 23rd.
Criticism
In his review, Roger Ebert stated, "Few people from any race wear real hair, and if they do, we will be Unabombers." Rock responds to criticism on The Oprah Winfrey Show, saying "it does not matter what's on your head - what's important is what's in your head, that's the theme of the movie."
Recognition and honor
The film received a Special Prize for a Jury Documentary Film at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
See also
Claim from Regina Kimbell
On October 5, 2009, documentary filmmaker Regina Kimbell filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court against Chris Rock Productions, HBO Films, and American and international distributor of Good Hair. Kimbell alleged that the Rock movie was an illegal violation of his similarly themed documentary My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage, which he said he sifted for Rock in 2007. Kimbell sought an order against the release of < i> Good Hair , but a federal judge allowed the Rock movie to be released on schedule.
Rock on Show Oprah Winfrey
Rock appeared on a popular TV show hosted by Oprah Winfrey to promote and discuss the film. During her second appearance, a prominent black women's round table, some from the fashion industry, discussed hair and self-esteem issues. Mikki Taylor, beauty editor and cover for Essence magazine, says that the term "good hair" is no longer relevant to many young black women. He believes that what is now considered "good hair" is healthy hair. He asked,
When will our hair become political? Every other female group can do what they want with their hair, and it does not look like making a statement. We are more than that, and we hope others will cope too.
Ayana Byrd, an editor for Glamor magazine, said, "The point is not to say the hair is good or bad, that is to say that after we trace the history behind our hair we can get a place where it is just can be hair. "
During the discussion, Rock noted that many women use hair relaxers to straighten their hair. Given the cost, it is sometimes called "cracked cream." Women from other ethnic groups get "permanents" to curl their hair. Black women use similar products to straighten curly hair. He says that sodium hydroxide, the active ingredient in relaxants, is strong enough to burn through the soda cans if left in solution long enough. Can damage the hair or scalp women. Rock begs the parents to stop exposing their little daughters to relax. He argues they should not have to worry about such styling questions before becoming a teenager.
References
- Catsoulis, Jeannette. "Good Hair (2009) October 9, 2009 Look But Do not Touch: It's All About Hair," New York Times <09, 2009, accessed February 01, 2011. http://film. nytimes.com/2009/10/09/movies/09hair.html
- "Chris Rock's Good Hair," The Oprah Winfrey Show , accessed February 01, 2011. http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Chris-Rocks-Good-Hair-Documentary
- Johnson, Dianne. "Hairitage: Women Write Race in Children's Literature," Project Muse 28.2 (2009): 337-355. Web. 05 Feb 2011.
- Kit, Zorianna. "Chris Rock's Good Hair": "Something To Speak About", Huffington Post , 10/11/09.
Further reading
- Crawford, Bridget. "The White Hair Women's Currency in a Down Economy," Social Science Research Network (2011): 1-17. Web. February 05, 2011. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1748103
- Davis, Patrick. "Good hair and bad hair: What seems to say about us," BNET, n.d. Web. 02 February 2011. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3935/is_200307/ai_n9237049/
External links
- Good Hair at Rotten Tomatoes
- Good Hair on IMDb
- Good Hair on Box Office Mojo
- Good Hair at AllMovie
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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