| Good Hair (the documentary) | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Jeff Stilson |
| Produced by | Jenny Hunter Kevin O'Donnell |
| Written by | Lance Crouther Paul Marchand Chris Rock Chuck Sklar Jeff Stilson |
| Narrated by | Chris Rock |
| Starring | Chris Rock Raven-Symoné Nia Long Ice-T KRS-One |
| Music by | Marcus Miller |
| Cinematography | Cliff Charles Mark Henderson |
| Editing by | Paul Marchand Greg Nash |
| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions (US) Kinosmith (Canada) |
| Release date(s) | October 9, 2009 |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $4,028,558[1] |
Good Hair is a 2009 American documentary comedy film 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 was released to select theaters in the United States by Roadside Attractions on October 9 of the same year, opening across the country on October 23. The film focuses on African American women's hair, including the styling industry surrounding it, the acceptable look of African American women's hair in society, and the effects of both upon African American culture.[3]
Contents |
According to Rock, he was prompted to make the movie after his 5-year old daughter Lola asked him, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?"[3] During the film, Rock delves into the $9 billion black hair industry, and visits such places as beauty salons, barbershops, hair styling conventions, scientific laboratories (to learn the science behind chemical relaxers that straighten hair), and India, where many of the hair weaves worn by African American women originate.[4][3]
Rock intended for the film to uphold a sense of seriousness, yet at the same time remain humorous.[4] The movie features interviews from hair care industry businesspeople, stylists and their consumers, and celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven-Symoné, Maya Angelou, KRS-One, Salt-n-Pepa, Kerry Washington, Eve, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Meagan Good[3][5] as they discuss their own experiences with their hair, and how black hair is perceived in the black community.
On Monday October 5, 2009, documentary filmmaker Regina Kimbell filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court against Chris Rock Productions, HBO Films, and Good Hair's American and international distributors. Kimbell charges that Rock's film is an illegal infringement of her similarly-themed documentary My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage, which she says she screened for Rock in 2007. [6] While Kimbell sought an injunction against the wide release of Good Hair, a federal judge allowed Rock's film to be released as scheduled.[7]
The film has received generally favorable reviews from critics. As of March 3, 2010, the film holds a 94% "Fresh" rating on aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes based on 69 reviews with an average score of 7.5/10.[8] Another review aggretator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating based on 100 reviews from mainstream critics, gave the film an average score of 72 based on 27 reviews. [9]
The film opened in limited release on October 9, 2009, becoming the fourteenth highest grossing film for the weekend of October 9-11, 2009 with $1,039,220 in 186 theaters with an $5,587 average.[10] The film expanded to 466 theaters on October 23.[11]
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search