Name : Joshua Rothkopf / Alias : Time Out
It's refreshing to encounter a sequel that leans deeper into sociopolitical realities, not further away.

Name : Peter Travers / Alias : Rolling Stone
It's stagey, often simplistic and it talks too damn much. But, hell, the talk has flavor and snap and a real-world sense of a community in crisis. Not bad for an escapist romp.

Name : Bruce Demara / Alias : Toronto Star
There are enough moments that feel both real and true to make one hope the latest cut isn't the final one.

Name : Brad Wheeler / Alias : Globe and Mail
Next time? Just a little off the top please, and leave the socio-political commentary to others.

Name : Tirdad Derakhshani / Alias : Philadelphia Inquirer
Instead of offering easy answers, Barbershop: The Next Cut raises important, difficult, and timely questions.

Name : Rafer Guzman / Alias : Newsday
The franchise hasn't improved quality-wise, but the racially charged humor still crackles.

Name : Jesse Hassenger / Alias : AV Club
A movie theater, like a barbershop, is a communal space, and the clamorous conversation plays especially well to a crowd eager to spend time with a bunch of likable stars.

Name : Tom Russo / Alias : Boston Globe
For a freshly-shaved-chin wag, "The Next Cut" covers ambitious ground.

Name : Edward Douglas / Alias : New York Daily News
"The Next Cut" is a true love letter to Chicago, but one that doesn't ignore the hard truth about the problems the city still faces.

Name : Colin Covert / Alias : Minneapolis Star Tribune
It's not groundbreaking stuff, but it's solid fun. If a studio is going to deliver a niche audience high-concept, low-cost films, this is the way to go.

Name : Alonso Duralde / Alias : TheWrap
Spike Lee took a much less prosaic look at Chicago's gang violence in last year's challenging Chi-Raq, but this more straightforward presentation will probably find more traction among mainstream audiences.

Name : Bruce Kirkland / Alias : Toronto Sun
As politically savvy as it is raucous and funny, Barbershop: The Next Cut is a stylish cut above its predecessors.

Name : Adam Graham / Alias : Detroit News
The cast has a natural chemistry and the shop has an authentic feel. Even as things get preachy, the quips keep customers coming through the door.

Name : Calvin Wilson / Alias : St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Barbershop: The Next Cut" combines the broad comedy that moviegoers have come to expect from the franchise with social commentary that's surprisingly effective.

Name : Frank Scheck / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
A cut above.

Name : Leah Pickett / Alias : Chicago Reader
The fourth entry in the Barbershop franchise delivers keen social commentary, bringing back many of the key players from the 2002 and 2004 installments.

Name : Leah Greenblatt / Alias : Entertainment Weekly
The movie . offers what any barbershop worth its repeat customers provides: An hour or two of good company, and the feeling that you're leaving a little sharper than when you came in.

Name : Edward Douglas / Alias : New York Daily News
The Next Cut is a true love letter to Chicago, but one that doesn't ignore the hard truth about the problems the city still faces.

Name : Sandy Cohen / Alias : Associated Press
Director Malcolm D. Lee and writers Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver develop each of these characters enough to deliver a winning ensemble comedy with multiple story lines and just the right dose of realistic drama.

Name : Justin Chang / Alias : Variety
Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer and a fresh cast of hair-cutting cut-ups ground this overly earnest but not-unwelcome third 'Barbershop' feature.

Name : Barbara VanDenburgh / Alias : Arizona Republic
Calvin's Barbershop is the same familiar comfort it has always been, to both its patrons and filmgoers.

Name : Alan Zilberman / Alias : Washington Post
Just as the men and women at Calvin's Barbershop are older and have more responsibilities, so too is "Barbershop: The Next Cut" more mature than its cinematic predecessors.

Name : Lou Lumenick / Alias : New York Post
[Lee] handles the huge, excellent ensemble and tonal shifts with skill as the crew argues about sexism and politics, along the way mocking everyone from President Obama and R. Kelly to Bill Cosby and the Kardashians.

Name : Stephanie Zacharek / Alias : TIME Magazine
This Barbershop is simply a place where we can all laugh together, sometimes at ideas that veer close to being explosive.

Name : Mick LaSalle / Alias : San Francisco Chronicle
"Barbershop: The Next Cut" is a funny movie, but also a serious movie, and - who knows? - maybe an important one.

Name : Mark Olsen / Alias : Los Angeles Times
"The Next Cut" manages to be entertaining and thoughtful, harmless fun but just serious enough not to seem frivolous.

Name : Melissa Anderson / Alias : Village Voice
Glutted even more than its predecessors with ancient fellas-versus-females debates, ungainly sociopolitical commentary, and top-40 superstars trying to diversify their brands.

Name : Richard Roeper / Alias : Chicago Sun-Times
Just about everything else clicks, thanks in no small part to the wonderful performances from the deep cast.

Name : A.O. Scott / Alias : New York Times
The most fascinating - and the most moving - thing about this sprawling, sincere and boisterous movie is its tone.