Good Hair
Good Hair | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jeff Stilson |
Written by | Lance Crouther Paul Marchand Chris Rock Chuck Sklar Jeff Stilson |
Produced by | Jenny Hunter Kevin O'Donnell |
Narrated by | Chris Rock |
Cinematography | Cliff Charles Mark Henderson |
Edited by | Paul Marchand Greg Nash |
Music by | Marcus Miller |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $4,028,558[1] |
Good Hair is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock.[2][3] Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, Good Hair had 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 centers on the issue of how African-American women have perceived their
Overview
According to Rock, he was inspired to make the film after his three-year-old daughter Lola asked him, "Daddy, how come I don't have
Rock delves into the $9 billion, black-owned hair industry, and visits such places as beauty salons, barbershops, and hairstyling conventions to explore popular approaches to styling. He visits scientific laboratories to learn the science behind
Rock intended to explore the topic seriously, but with humor.
Themes
Rock explores why black women adopt so many different styles for their hair. Techniques designed to straighten hair appear to be intended to give it characteristics of Eurocentric (or "white") hair. Other styles create elaborate designs related to African traditions and recent innovations in fashion. Rock is quoted as saying, "I knew women wanted to be beautiful, but I didn't know the lengths they would go to, the time they would spend—and not complain about it. In fact, they appear to look forward to it."[5]
Interviews with public figures
The film features interviews with prominent entertainers and other public figures, including
. They provide opinions on "good hair" and recount personal experiences in dealing with their hair.In Jeannette Catsoulis' review of the film, she notes that Rock questions why African-American women adopt a concept of "beauty" that is not based on the natural characteristics of their hair. Some endure sometimes-painful hair treatments in order to achieve this definition of beauty. If the treatments, such as hair relaxers, are done improperly, they can cause hair loss or burns on the scalp.
Al Sharpton says, "We wear our economic oppression on our heads."[6] He refers to the hair business, which yields billions of dollars in revenues and has changed from African-American manufacturers to Asian manufacturers, redirecting the profits from the industry out of the African-American community.
To gain insights into the cultural issue, Rock also interviewed students and faculty at
Reception
The film met with positive reviews from critics. Good Hair currently holds a 94% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 85 reviews, with an average score of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Funny, informative, and occasionally sad, Good Hair is a provocative look at the complex relationship between African Americans and their hair."[7] Another review aggregation website, Metacritic, gave the film an average score of 72/100 based on 27 reviews.[8] It received the Special Jury Prize Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.[9]
Good Hair opened in limited release on October 9, 2009, becoming the 14th highest-grossing film for the weekend of October 9–11, 2009 with $1,039,220 in 186 theaters with a $5,587 average.[10] The film expanded to 466 theaters on October 23.[11]
In his review, Roger Ebert stated "Few people of any race wear completely natural hair. If they did, we would be a nation of Unabombers."[12] Rock responded to critics on The Oprah Winfrey Show, saying "it's not important what's on top of your head—it's important what's inside of your head. That is the theme of the movie."[5][13]
Lawsuit from Regina Kimbell
On October 5, 2009,
Rock on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Rock appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote and discuss his film. During his second appearance, a roundtable of prominent Black women, some from the fashion industry, discussed the issue of hair and self-esteem. Mikki Taylor, beauty and cover editor for Essence, and Ayana Byrd, an editor for Glamour, questioned whether the phrase was still apt.[5]
Recognition and honors
The film received the Special Jury Prize for a Documentary at the
Legacy
In the wake of Chris Rock's comments on Jada Pinkett Smith's hairstyle at the 94th Academy Awards, as well as Will Smith's publicly slapping Rock in response to it, Time reported many Black women took to Twitter to reassess the film.[18] One of the film's interviewees, interior designer Sheila Bridges, who suffers from alopecia, criticized Rock for his joke about Pinkett Smith on her Instagram page, saying, "Shame on you @chrisrock. Didn't we sit down and talk at length about how painfully humiliating and difficult it is to navigate life as a bald woman in a society that is hair obsessed?"[18][19]
See also
- My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage (2006 documentary)
- No Lye: An American Beauty Story (2019 documentary)
References
- ^ "Good Hair (the documentary) (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ^ 'Good Hair' Trailer
- ^ a b c d e "Chris Rock's 'Good Hair'". ET Online. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ^ a b "Chris Rock gets to the root of 'Good Hair'". CNN. February 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c Puente, Maria (October 25, 2009). "Chris Rock's 'Good Hair' Gets Tangled up in Controversy". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-4985-3779-7.
- ^ "Good Hair". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Good Hair (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. October 9, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ^ 2009 Sundance Film Festival sundance.org
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 9–11, 2009". Box Office Mojo. October 11, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ^ "Good Hair (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 7, 2009). "Chris Rock explores the private mysteries of beauty salons". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via RogerEbert.com.
- Oprah.com. September 30, 2009.
- ^ "Filmmaker sues Chris Rock over 'Good Hair'". Associated Press. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ^ "Judge refuses to block Chris Rock film". Today. Associated Press. October 19, 2009.
- ^ 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival Official website
- ^ "2010 Writers Guild Award Winners". TV Source Magazine. February 21, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Chow, Andrew R. (March 28, 2022). "Will Smith's Oscars Slap Is the Culmination of Long, Complicated History". Time. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ "Celeb Designer Sheila Bridges Will & Chris Played Into Stereotypes... 'A Loss All Around'". TMZ. March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
Further reading
- Crawford, Bridget (2010). "The Currency of White Women's Hair in a Down Economy". Women's Rights Law Reporter. 32 (1): 45–55.
- Davis, Patrick (Summer 2003). "Good Hair and Bad Hair: What This Seems to Say About Us". Multicultural Education. 10 (4): 39–41. OCLC 682417517.
- Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 8, 2009). "Look but Don't Touch: It's All About the Hair". The New York Times.
- "Chris Rock's Good Hair". Oprah.com. September 30, 2009.
- Project MUSE 393360.
- Kit, Zorianna (March 18, 2010). "Chris Rock's Good Hair Documentary: Something to Talk About". HuffPost.
- ISBN 978-0-203-06691-1.
- Chidester, David (March 2011). "Sacred". Material Religion. 7 (1): 84–90. S2CID 218835114.
External links
- Good Hair at IMDb
- Good Hair at AllMovie
- Good Hair at Rotten Tomatoes
- Good Hair at Metacritic
- Good Hair at Box Office Mojo