Chris Rock's 'Good Hair'
What the comedian has to say about the multibillion-dollar black-hair-care industry
Good Hair is an "amusing, poignant, and surprisingly candid" exploration of "the multibillion-dollar business" of the black-hair-care industry, said Betsey Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times. Comedian Chris Rock, who co-wrote the script, serves as tour guide, "coaxing answers and opinions from an eclectic cross-section of African Americans"—and "the result is a documentary that weaves as much comedy as fact into the narrative." (watch the trailer for Good Hair)
It's a "fascinating subject," said Keith Uhlich in Time Out New York, and Good Hair "is especially powerful in how it offhandedly shows certain races fomenting and exploiting the desires of others." But it's a shame Chris Rock "merely" uses this film "as an opportunity to crack wise"—whenever he's onscreen, "there's always a punch line or a snooty eye-roll to be had."
That's not entirely true, said Melissa Anderson in The Village Voice. Chris Rock "is certainly a sympathetic and curious observer." But what about "Don Imus' 2007 remarks about 'nappy-headed hos,'" which "underscored the immense fear of and fascination with the hair follicles of African-American women"? Rock doesn't get into it, and in that way he "betrays some of the gender politics that remain vigorously unexamined in this breezy, superficial doc."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Also opening this week: Paranormal Activity, The Yes Men Fix the World, Couples Retreat
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.