Good Hair (2009)
83%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 10 nominations
Funny, informative, and occasionally sad, Good Hair is a provocative look at the complex relationship between African Americans and their hair
Good Hair is a documentary that explores the fascinating world of African-American hair culture, and Chris Rock is the perfect guide to take us on this journey. While some critics found the film to be a bit slipshod or lacking in hard-hitting exposés, I found it to be an entertaining and eye-opening look at a subject that I knew very little about. Rock’s affable nature and probing comic instincts ensure that the tone is always light and jocular, even when he’s uncovering some jaw-dropping truths about the $9 billion US black hair industry. Overall, Good Hair is a fun and informative film that will make you appreciate the artistry and complexity of black hair.
Production Company(ies)
Apatow Productions, Film Nation Entertainment, Story Ink
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Beverly Hills, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some language including sex and drug references, and brief partial nudity
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 9, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 16, 2010
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
starring Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Nia Long, Ice-T, Eve, Meagan Good, directed by Jeff Stilson, written by Chris Rock, Jeff Stilson, Lance Crouther, Chuck Sklar, documentary, PG-13 rating, box office gross of $4.2M, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Keith Uhlich, Tim Robey, Georgie Hobbs, David Hughes, Cath Clarke, Andrea Hubert, Kaleem Aftab, Christopher Tookey, Alistair Harkness, Rich Cline, Karen Krizanovich, explores African American hair culture, hair salons, stylist competitions, Indian temple, chemical composition of hair relaxant, black hair industry, hair care industry, black identity, white models, cultural trendsetters, natural hair, hair weaves, personal agenda, provocative, informative, occasionally sad, funny
Worldwide gross: $4,163,135
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,753,914
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,130
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 627,471
US/Canada gross: $4,157,223
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,745,742
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,768
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,039,220
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,436,317
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,240
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Maya Angelou – Self
Nia Long – Self
Ice-T – Self
Eve – Self
Meagan Good – Self
Jeff Stilson – Director
Chris Rock – Producer, Writer
Kevin O’Donnell – Producer
Jenny Hunter – Producer
Lance Crouther – Writer
Chuck Sklar – Writer
Director(s)
Jeff Stilson
Writer(s)
Chris Rock, Jeff Stilson, Lance Crouther, Chuck Sklar
Producer(s)
Chris Rock, Kevin O’Donnell, Jenny Hunter
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (84) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (4)
Mr Rock is one proud, if heartbroken, daddy and also a lovely, free-wheeling guide through African-American, Afro-hating hair culture.
August 30, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
A slipshod doc about a fascinating subject.
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Keith Uhlich
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s an eye-opener, if a blatantly chauvinistic one: Rock’s main beefs seem to be that men have to pay for it, and upkeep of such a coveted accessory is a barrier to intimacy in the bedroom.
June 30, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
All Christopher Guest-allusions aside, this is a crucial documentary about race and gender today.
June 25, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Georgie Hobbs
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Despite dozens of interviews and Rock’s personal agenda, this isn’t the hard-hitting expose it should have been.
June 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
David Hughes
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Rock fronts this informative rummage through the $9 billion US black hair industry in a style much like his stand-up comedy: hilarious, insightful and charming enough to let him get away with the flammable stuff.
June 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Cath Clarke
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Chris Rock talks about ladies hair – and it’s awesome…
May 19, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Andrea Hubert
NME
For the uninitiated, the observations and discoveries are often startling.
November 5, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Kaleem Aftab
The List
It raises interesting issues of image, self-esteem and social pressures, and Rock turns out to be an engaging interviewer.
January 4, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail (UK)
Though Rock’s affable nature and probing comic instincts ensure the tone is always light and jocular, his discoveries are sometimes jaw-dropping…
August 16, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Alistair Harkness
Scotsman
Chris Rock hosts this exploration into hair issues in the African-American community, talking to celebrities, experts and hairdressers. What’s surprising is that this is such a big issue, although the film isn’t much more than entertaining fluff.
June 30, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Though its production values are on the low side and it flounders a little as it bounces from Hollywood to India, overall it’s a fascinating, energetic and enlightening film that’ll ensure you’ll never look at hair the same way again.
June 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Karen Krizanovich
Radio Times…
Plot
Chris Rock, a man with two daughters, asks about good hair, as defined by Black Americans, mostly Black women. He visits Bronner Brothers’ annual hair convention in Atlanta. He tells us about sodium hydroxide, a toxin used to relax hair. He looks at weaves, and he travels to India where tonsure ceremonies produce much of the hair sold in America. A weave is expensive: he asks who makes the money. We visit salons and barbershops, central to the Black community. Rock asks men if they can touch their mates’ hair – no, it’s decoration. Various talking heads (many of them women with good hair) comment. It’s about self image. Maya Angelou and Tracie Thoms provide perspective.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with celebrities such as Ice-T, Maya Angelou, and Nia Long.
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