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Coming to theaters this fall is an exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off.
'Good Hair' visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks and sexual relationships of the black community.
Director Jeff Stilson and producer Nelson George follow the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning funnyman on this raucous adventure, which was birthed, Rock says, when his daughter Lola asked him why she didn't have "good hair." The comedian spent nearly two years developing the documentary, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this past January.
Hair care professionals, beauty shop and barbershop patrons, and celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, Salt n' Pepa, Eve and Rev. Al Sharpton, candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles to find an answer to his daughter's question.
The film is presented by HBO Films and released theatrically by Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions. It's set to open on Oct. 9, but check out our exclusive preview of it below.
Popular Black Comedians
Famous, Black & Funny
Being funny comes as a natural gift for man – but only the really talented (and really daring) ones have answered the call to make the masses laugh with their comedy. The wild and crazy Tracy Morgan, the much heralded Whoopi Goldberg, the brassy Mo'Nique and the late, great Richard Pryor are just a few of the black, famous and funny people who made us laugh over the last 50 years. There are many more. And they all have stories behind the funny. Check out who they are and what they've done.
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Famous, Black & Funny
Wanda Sykes
Started Out: Began her stand-up career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, D.C. Big Break: Played multiple roles on Chris Rock's Emmy Award-winning HBO show. Hometown: Portsmouth, Va. Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Monster-in-Law' and 'Pooty Tang' and on the TV shows 'Wanda At Large,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'The New Adventures of Old Christine.' Factoid: During a Las Vegas gay rights rally in November 2008, Sykes proclaimed she was "proud to be gay."
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Famous, Black & Funny
Jamie Foxx
Started Out: Acting on a dare (from a girlfriend) and competing in an open-mic contest at a comedy club in 1989. Big Break: Playing the comely date-challenged Wanda on 'In Living Color' Hometown: Linden, Texas Also Was Seen: In the films 'Booty Call,' 'The Players Club,' 'Any Given Sunday,' 'Miami Vice,' 'Ali' and 'Ray,' for which he won an Academy Award for best actor in 2005. Also fronted his eponymous sitcom. Factoid: As of 2009, Foxx (real name: Eric Marlon Bishop) has released three music albums: 1994's 'Peep This,' 2005's 'Unpredictable' and 2008's 'Intuition.'
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Famous, Black & Funny
Tracy Morgan
Started Out: Appearing on the sitcom 'Martin,' where he played 'Hustle Man.' Big Break: Morgan's claim to fame came in 1996 when he began appearing on 'Saturday Night Live.' Hometown: New York City Also Was Seen: In 'A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,' 'Martin,' 'Half Baked,' 'How High,' 'Head of State,' 'The Tracey Morgan Show,' 'Little Man,' 'First Sunday' and '30 Rock.' Factoid: Andrew Dice Clay inspired Morgan to pursue comedy.
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Famous, Black & Funny
Chris Rock
Started Out: Doing stand-up comedy in 1985 in New York City's Catch a Rising Star Comedy Club. Big Break: Was a cast member of the popular sketch comedy series 'Saturday Night Live.' Hometown: New York City Also Was Seen: In the movie 'New Jack City,' where he played a crackhead informant. Factoid: Born in 1965, Rock won a Grammy for best spoken comedy album in 1999 for the project 'Bigger & Blacker.'
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Famous, Black & Funny
Mo'Nique
Started Out: Appearing at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet. Big Break: Starred on the hit UPN sitcom 'The Parkers.' Hometown: Baltimore Also Was Seen: In 'Three Can Play That Game,' 'Hair Show' and 'Shadowboxer.' Factoid: Born in 1967, Mo'Nique (real name: Monique Imes) is the author of 'Skinny Women are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World' and the cookbook 'Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted.'
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Famous, Black & Funny
Eddie Griffith
Started Out: Griffith began his acting career the 1991 action-thriller 'The Last Boy Scout.' Big Break: In 1996, Griffith showcased his talent on a national scale when he landed the role of Eddie on the TV series 'Malcolm & Eddie.' Hometown: Kansas City, Mo. Also Was Seen: In 'Foolish,' 'Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo' and 'Undercover Brother.' Factoid: Suffered a heart attack in 1996 while taping an episode of 'Malcolm & Eddie' following a scene in which he did the salsa dance.
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Famous, Black & Funny
Bill Cosby
Started Out: While in his early twenties, Cosby appeared on various well-known variety programs including 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' Big Break: In 1965, he appeared as Alexander Scott in the Emmy Award-winning flick 'I Spy.' Hometown: Philadelphia Also Was Seen: In 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,' 'Uptown Saturday Night,' 'Let's Do it Again,' 'Ghost Dad,' 'The Meteor Man' and the groundbreaking NBC sitcom 'The Cosby Show.' Factoid: Beginning in 1965, Cosby scored the Grammy Award for best comedy album six years in a row.
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Famous, Black & Funny
George Wallace
Started Out: Doing a completely improvised routine in a New York City comedy club circa 1977. Big Break: Worked as a writer for 'The Redd Foxx Show.' Hometown: Atlanta Also Was Seen: In the movies 'The Ladykillers' and 'Batman Forever.' Factoid: Born in 1952, Wallace owns and operates one of Las Vegas' most popular stand-up comedy shows -- his very own at the legendary Flamingo.
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Famous, Black & Funny
Martin Lawrence
Started Out: Making an appearance on the national talent show 'Star Search,' which ultimately led to a gig on 'What's Happening Now!' Big Break: Hosting the groundbreaking comedy series 'Def Comedy Jam.' Hometown: Landover, Md. Also Was Seen: In the films 'Do the Right Thing,' 'House Party,' 'Boomerang,' 'Bad Boys,' 'Thin Line Between Love & Hate' and 'Big Momma's House.' In addition, he starred and executive-produced his own Fox sitcom 'Martin' for five seasons. Factoid: In 1989, Lawrence was engaged to 'Saved by the Bell' actress Lark Voorhies.
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By: alie on 6/06/2010 1:00PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1036155/Why-Ill-wear-hair-extensions-pop-star-Jamelia.html
click on above link did chris rock see this documentary before he did his i wounder?
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By: Sulu on 6/16/2010 12:21PM
Open Letter to Brother Chris Rock
Dear brother Chris Rock,
I have been watching you for quite a few years now. From your raw beginnings as a stand-up to your first foray into film (New Jack City) and always felt that you were talented. Some may even argue that your comedic skills at times have bordered on comic genius.
With fame comes great responsibility. Many times, fame will isolate, perhaps distancing the artist to the point where he no longer is affected by his art. Unfortunately you seem to have slipped into this niche. Through the years, your humor seems to have evolved into a willingness to pander to the white audience’s worst fears about us as a race or their thoughts, feelings about our social behavior which they do not understand. Mind you, you do “throw” us a “bone” every now and then but basically your humor is geared toward white folk’s phobias.
Even then, I would not dare to tell you what is and what is not funny but only that I wished your language of laughter were informed by more accountability otherwise your audience is laughing at you … (at us) rather than with you/with us. I find this approach condescending at best and socially reckless at worst.
I know that you are no Richard Pryor nor would I expect you to be. Part of his comic genius was that he understood the absolute necessity for social disclaimer. He knew without it, he would merely be buying into and affirming all the negative, stereotypes of how and why we came to be.
Your latest venture, “Good Hair” is a case in point.
I would have given anything to be in on the think tank that gave the “green light” for this project.
My first question would have been,“ to whom is the targeted audience intended?”
Obviously, it was not Black Women. I can’t imagine that White women would want to see it either unless simply to “reaffirm’ their sense of ‘superiority”.
And I seriously believe that Black men don’t care as long as it looks good and surely not White men. They have no vested interest.
Was it simply to “out” Black women? To chastise or to “poke” fun at? Whatever happened to the adage, “Some things are best “left in the family”?
I admit I have only seen “excerpts” but even that little bit has some glaring misinformation.
For the record, hydrogen peroxide hasn’t been used in relaxers for quite some time. Hence, there is no burning. Also, most “weaves’ don’t cost $1,000.00. Maybe the women you “hob knob” with pay that kind of money but not the average Black women. She pays her rent and takes care of her children FIRST not last. And third … I have never seen or heard of any Black woman who was so desperate to have Indian hair that she would chase some East Indian sister down the street, with a pair of scissors (she keeps in her purse for just such an occasion) clutched tightly in her fist poised to cut her hair off. Even within the context of this “mockumentary”, that was about as funny as a dead baby joke.
And since you feel the need to “out” Black women why didn’t you go further and discuss why many Black men don’t want their girlfriends/wives to wear their hair “natural”? Why hip hop videos are inundated with girls with so called “good hair”? Why, when male celebrities or sports figures or the nouvea riche move up the chain of “celebrity status” and walk the Red Carpet the women walking next to them are NEVER wearing dread locks, “do-do braids” or contemporary afros?
I am going to assume that you love black women but before you make another film like this make sure you put that love up front and understand the psychological effects and consequences of your actions.
I don’t hate you and will probably watch you from time to time if you happen to “pop up” on the telly but as of this moment you owe Black Women a major apology and until we get it, I for one will not be going out of my way to support anything you do.
Sulu
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By: Tina on 8/25/2010 12:56PM
I feel that black people's hair are stereotyped. Not all black people have nappy hair. I was born with a very good grade of hair and my mom and dad is all black. I took my hair after my dad.
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