Review of Good Hair (2009) by Jeff G — 08 Nov 2009

Chris Rockâ??s young daughter asks him, "Daddy, why don't I have good hair?â?? In Jeff Stilsonâ??s new documentary, Rock attempts to examine and inquire what the label â??good hairâ?? actually means. He interviews countless black woman about their hair, and hair in general, including Maya Angelou, actresses Nia Long and Tracy Thoms, and even Salt-n-Pepa.

Rock learns many very interesting truths and semi-truths surrounding black hair, and he shows his curiosity, confusion, and even shock all along the way. He is genuinely interested in his daughterâ??s question, and he tries very hard to get to the bottom of it all. What he discovers is that black women generally prefer to either have their hair straightened, or to have extensions put in. Natural black hair is considered by many throughout the film to be unmanageable, unfashionable, and to the countless hair shops that Chris Rock visits, unsellable.

Two experts discuss the dangers of using the product, which primarily is said to contain sodium hydroxide. A chemist shows Rock a dissolved aluminum soda can that has been left in a bath of sodium hydroxide for four hours. A dermatologist says the chemical causes severe burns if left on too long, and many examples of this are discussed and shown. It is also mentioned that inhaling it can harm your lungs. Rock discovers that many black parents are having their daughtersâ?? hair straightened with relaxer at a very young age. Rock asks one of these little girls why she has it done, she replies, â??Because youâ??re supposed to.â??

Rock visits to one of the few black-owned plants in the country, Dudley Products, in Atlanta, Georgia. He travels to India, which is where most of the extension hair comes from, and discovers just how profitable the black hair industry is. It is a $9 billion dollar a year industry, and it is fascinating how many women are willing to go to a salon and pay somewhere between one and three thousand dollars for extensions when many of them struggle with rent payments. It is this fixation with image that exists in our culture that drives this industry, and it is highly expensive.

Although the documentary begins quite slowly, it picks up a bit when Rock travels to India, and then is captivated by the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show. This hair show is one of the more interesting, and funny sections of the movie, and it is where some of the strangest people are encountered. It is ironic that that show itself has little to do with taking care of hair, but more to do with the creativity and presentation that surrounds the actual hair style/cut.

Overall, I would say that I did not really receive much from this movie. I found it kind of interesting, and I laughed a bit, but It wasnâ??t a great documentary. It was too sluggish at the opening, and even once it got going, nothing that it presented really blew me away. It is a lightweight documentary that says a few cool things, but never really challenges your intellect, which isnâ??t a terrible thing. Maybe Rock just wanted to show us something different, something that we can watch, enjoy, and then move on.