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

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

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

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hårfint

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

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

Ice-T: ...trust me, if a woman ain't happy with herself, she's going to bring nothing but pain to every f'ing body around her.

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Connections

Referenced in The Oprah Winfrey Show: Episode dated 9 October 2009 (2009)

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Soundtracks

You've Been Seen Around
Written by Dean Krippaehne
Performed by Dean Krippaehne
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

A light documentary on an interesting topic

Chris Rock provides a good snapshot of the hair culture of African-American women. Various aspects of the movie are entertaining, amusing, or saddening, depending on how one views them.

I have heard people criticize the movie's lack of depth in the analysis of topics like economic exploitation with regard to hair products, and sociological issues around the use of these products. However, such detailed analysis would not be very meaningful without the general background that is provided in this movie.

This movie was a good, light documentary on a topic that interested me and had not been discussed before.