Good Hair (2009)

Chris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles.

Director:

Jeff Stilson

Writers:

Lance Crouther, Paul Marchand (ghostwriter)

Stars:

Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Al Sharpton

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tanya Crumel	...	Self - Hair Battle Contestant
Kevin Kirk	...	Self - Hair Battle Contestant
Jason Griggers	...	Self - Hair Battle Contestant
Maya Angelou	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marvet Britto	...	Self
A'Lelia Bundles	...	Self
Vanessa Bell Calloway	...	Self
Eve	...	Self
Farrah Fawcett	...	Self (archive footage)
Melyssa Ford	...	Self
Meagan Good	...	Self
Andre Harrell	...	Self
Ice-T	...	Self
Cheryl 'Salt' James	...	Self (as Salt-N-Pepa)
Sarah Jones	...	Self

Storyline

Chris Rock, a man with two daughters, asks about good hair, as defined by Black Americans, mostly Black women. He visits Bronner Brothers' annual hair convention in Atlanta. He tells us about sodium hydroxide, a toxin used to relax hair. He looks at weaves, and he travels to India where tonsure ceremonies produce much of the hair sold in America. A weave is expensive: he asks who makes the money. We visit salons and barbershops, central to the Black community. Rock asks men if they can touch their mates' hair - no, it's decoration. Various talking heads (many of them women with good hair) comment. It's about self image. Maya Angelou and Tracie Thoms provide perspective.

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Plot Keywords:

television commercial | the white house | hair | self image | sodium hydroxide | 

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Taglines:

Sit back and relax.

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language including sex and drug references, and brief partial nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Documentary filmmaker Regina Kimbell launched an injunction against Chris Rock and HBO, claiming that their film infringed on her own similarly themed documentary My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage (2010) which she screened for Rock in 2007. A federal judge ruled that Good Hair (2009) should be allowed to be released.

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Quotes

Maya Angelou: I would say that hair is a woman's glory and that you share that glory with your family. And they get to see you braiding it and they get to see you washing it.
[...]
Maya Angelou: But it is not a bad thing or a good thing, it's hair.

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Connections

Featured in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.14 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Freedom Land
Written by Deyon Davis & Thomas Torres, Jr.
Performed by Deyon Davis
Courtesy of Cinematic Tunes, Inc.

User Reviews

An interesting look at hair care culture

"Good Hair" manages to both entertain and educate. As someone who has little interest in the culture of hair care among African Americans, I was intrigued by this film because it was written, narrated and executive produced by Chris Rock, a very intelligent, perceptive, and entertaining comedian. In addition, it examines the cultural aspects of the care and treatment of hair among black women as well as its importance as a mark of beauty. Black women endure the potential of physical injury from the chemicals used to straighten their hair, hours upon hours of treatment in order to achieve the precise look they desire, and costs well into the thousands—yes thousands—of dollars to purchase a weave. I was particularly fascinated by the bi-annual competition among hairdressers that take place at the industry trade shows—a combination of skill, spectacle, and outlandish creativity, these competitions must be seen to be believed.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Good Hair

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,039,220, 11 October 2009

Gross USA:

$4,157,223

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,163,135

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chris Rock Entertainment, HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1