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Queen Latifah (Chicago, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Taxi) yanks a fistful off producer Ice Cube’s thick, nappy Barbershop franchise (and not the venerable stage play) with a kinder, gentler, positive-message-type spin-off involving hairstylist Gina (the Queen herself) and her attempts to open a place of her own to get your hair did in Southwest Atlanta—the “SWATs,” if you will—and the various obstacles of color in the way, be they white, black, or green. It’s good times in the shop when the ladies are, uh, relaxed and kickin’ it, even when they’re rolling their eyes at the twangy white girl (Alicia Silverstone) trying to do black hair. Alfre Woodard spits some Maya Angelou and makes us realize we haven’t seen much of her lately, Sheryl Underwood is a big-toothed, country-ass crackup, Keshia Knight Pulliam (TV’s The Cosby Show) is all grows up (a little too much maybe), Kevin Bacon has fun as freakish Eurotrash hair-salon hater Jorge, and Djimon Hounsou lays that French/African charm on Latifah just so.

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