politic1983 Often, I will ridicule girls I know about their natural hair showing at the roots of their long, peroxide locks. But, as Chris Rock explores in 'Good Hair', it seems the mocking of a white woman's vanity in the UK pales in comparison to the hair situation of Afro-American women.'Good Hair' has grown to mean straight hair, and so chemical 'relaxants' and weaves have grown into a multibillion dollar industry in the US. Women, and some men, seem more than willing to put dangerous chemicals on their person, spending thousands of dollars; all in the name of vanity. And it is this financial aspect that is a large part of the focus for Rock.Concentrating on how few of the companies supplying black hair products are black-owned, a sense of some modern day exploitation by white and Asian-owned businesses is created.But sadly, this is not the real tragedy present. While touched upon, 'Good Hair' fails to fully explore as to why women go to such lengths to straighten their hair, rather than remain natural. Those spoken to are largely pro 'good' hair, and so provide a mainly one-sided argument, avoiding any politics they may arise.From 'Good Hair', you would be forgiven for assuming that all women are driven by vanity, most doing what they do to be 'normal' rather than different. This is exemplified by Nia Long, a woman proudly discussing her weave, stating that 'you have to work with what you've got.' Before Rock interjects 'or what you can weave in,' showing the level of contradiction shown by those discussing the topic.The lack of a counter argument here disappoints, but Rock is a comedian, not a social scientist, and so it is understandable that context and questions of identity are left out in exchange for entertainment the documentarian's natural wit and charm.While not answering any of society's questions, 'Good Hair' certainly entertains and raises some interesting discussions, and it doesn't require any chemical substances or someone else's extensions to do so.

FilmBrit I didn't quite get what and why this movie was made but it's clear that Chris Rock did it for a reason and after watching it, it was worth it.Just as you thought I knew it all, this movie came along. Being a documentary and a shocking one that is, who better to do it then Chris Rock.Seeing Chris Rock investigate and almost challenged by the trend of African American hair and it's culture and how it came about. Chris Rock fits the role (even for a documentary) perfectly.Believe it or not after watching the movie for fifty minutes into it, you'll find that Good Hair affects more then just the people but also the pop culture, lifestyle and people's finances affected by African American hair and by the end of it, you'll be sitting down almost amazed that such a massive culture exists as featured in this movie.Even thou the movie does clearly present what 'Good Hair' is about, it does feel a bit like a tidbit or accessory to watch but it's good enough to recommend.

foxface I enjoyed the movie Good Hair, because I felt it raised all of the issues regarding the African-American community and the thought process behind "good hair". This movie wasn't a preachy movie and introduced many concepts in a very subtle way ( the psyche of good hair, media images of black hair and acceptance/rejection of black hair in its natural state (the scene with high school girls, who tell the one girl with natural hair, she wouldn't be hired for a job and that she didn't look "together" was jarring.I felt the film did a good job of covering who controls the economics behind black hair (hardly any blacks, mainly whites and Asians) and the staggering amount of revenue ($9 billion annually) in the industry, generated by people who own less than a percent of the industry. The film looked at everyday people who get weaves, and pay serious money (the lay-away plan was sad, funny, and ingenious at the same time) and the reason they feel weaves are necessary. Calling relaxers "creamy crack"was funny and alarming at the same time. The health risks, the thought of lye and the discussion of scalp burns was right on target. The message regarding the impact of celebrity in our culture is so deep, that every day women will spend beyond their means to look like a Beyonce or Rhianna, though they don't have either of these women's financial means. The idea that straight "white" looking hair is equated with beauty and self worth was a undercurrent theme in this movie.The male point of view is represented by the rich and famous (Andre Harrell, Paul Mooney) and the barbershop. No matter what a black man's economic status is, they all were catching the same type of hell regarding not being able to touch a woman's weaved head. Rev. Al Sharpton was the exception to this dilemma, but didn't mention the limitations of having relaxed hair. Yet he did point out hair shouldn't sabotage a black woman's economic situation, but often does. Money spent on a weave could be spend on education or a 401K plan instead. Black men also feel the economic pinch the weave provides, because they often have to provide money for weave upkeep and to keep their relationship.The limitations of having a weave (no swimming, no touching the hair, can also be examined in the movie "Something New" which is also an examination of the weave culture in addition to interracial relationships between black women and white men. The question was posed do some black men deal with white women exclusively, because they can go swimming, and have their hair touched, opened up another can of worms. This movie can't explore all of the psyche behind the phrase "good hair" but does a good job of opening up the conversation.One thing the movie does is make the audience look at the children who looked too young to be putting chemicals in their tender scalps,and who seemed to be indoctrinated with the message that their hair needed to be straight in order for them to be considered pretty. That was just sad, because the people sending them those messages were their own mothers,grandmothers, and society at large. As a black woman with relaxed hair, I really have to think about the ideology, society, and the culture that has influenced the choice I've made regarding the hair choice I am making. These women are making a choice, but if they knew of the insidious nature that feeds the beast, would they or I consider a different reality, which is our natural hair?

KineticSeoul "Good Hair" is a documentary comedy that is produced and hosted by Chris Rock. Okay so the whole documentary is basically about black girls and women wanting straight and wavy hair since just about every black people have really curly hair. I think I found this documentary more interesting compared to people that don't have curly hair, because I have a slight curly hair myself and it really bugs the heck out of me, I can only imagine what black people that want straight hair must go through. But straight hair is not the only premise of this movie, it also shows the value of straight hair and how it can be a lucrative business. It also shows many hairstylist that cut black people's hair go into competitions and stuff, which doesn't really add to the documentary but doesn't take anything away either. What I found most interesting was how some black girls and women don't use relaxers to straighten out there hair but go through a expensive process called weaving which cost some people a fortune, and it's where they sew a wig onto there hair thus attaching it to your head. I also never knew how valuable straight silky hair is. Anyways Christ Rock did a great job hosting this documentary and everyone he interviewed was actually amusing to listen to and although some may complain, because it don't give certain information. Like why? But it's usually common sense or not really worth answering or necessary and so the complaints seem to be a bit too uptight in my opinion.7.5/10