LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - An appealing cast inhabits well-defined characters with warmth and ease in this reunion of the "Barbershop" staff. Exec producing this time, Ice Cube reprises his turn as good-guy straight man to a winning comedy ensemble, while Cedric the Entertainer steps into an expanded role as the memorably opinionated, "semiretired" barber Eddie. Again pitting the beloved neighborhood institution against unwholesome business interests, "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" has a rollicking time reaching its foreseeable conclusion. With the built-in draw of an established concept and the addition of Queen Latifah, the film should have the legs to surpass its predecessor's take of $75 million

The script by Don D. Scott, one of the 2002 hit's three writers, is more earthbound than the first installment. In place of painfully dumb thieves and unbelievable police raids is a bit of social context. Chicago itself is more of a presence, from its elevated trains to its late-'60s turmoil. Opening with a slice of back story from 1967 that shows how Eddie first arrived at the South Side barbershop, the film jumps into present-day action with his rant about biracial public figures and the D.C. snipers.

Given the controversy the first film stirred up with its skewering of civil rights icons, the comments this time around don't have quite the same shock value. As funny as Eddie's contrarian attitudes can be -- especially in Cedric's inimitable delivery -- there's a sense in the early going that the film is trying too hard, in its good-natured way, to offend. Once director Kevin Rodney Sullivan ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back") relaxes into the story, though, the rants become an integral part of the nonstop kibitzing.

Having withstood money troubles and loan-shark maneuvers in the first film, Calvin (Ice Cube) finds his shop targeted by a cigar-chomping developer (Harry Lennix) who's installing Chicago's first branch of the Nappy Cutz chain directly across the street. Boasting such amenities as titanium clippers, leather smocks and flat-screen TVs, not to mention room to play hoops, the new haircut emporium gives Calvin ample reason to worry. Go-getter Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas), who has left barbering for politics -- Eddie calls him West Wing -- tries to help Calvin save his business, appealing to his verbiage-spouting boss, Alderman Brown (Robert Wisdom).

As they navigate personality clashes and other tensions, Calvin's haircutters remain more or less united, especially against Calvin's fresh-from-barber-school cousin ("SNL's" Kenan Thompson), who they wordlessly agree is an annoyance and a fool. Isaac (Troy Garity), the sole white barber, is more convinced than ever of his haircutting super-talents, and Nigerian immigrant Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze) still harbors a crush on take-no-prisoners Terri (Eve), who's catching everyone off-guard with her serenity-now enlightenment -- she's even willing to share her apple juice. Ex-con Ricky (Michael Ealy) is still secretive and enigmatic; when Terri discovers what he's been up to, she uncovers another surprise in the process.

Introducing the role she'll play in the upcoming spinoff "Beauty Shop," Queen Latifah makes an impression as Gina, an ex-girlfriend of Calvin's and a stylist at the women's salon next door -- where things really get raunchy. Gina and Eddie face off in a rousing bout of insult comedy that's one of the film's best scenes, not only for the laughs but for the underlying affection.

Colorful, witty production and costume design heighten the spirited proceedings, and cinematographer Tom Priestley effectively uses black-and-white and desaturated color in flashback sequences. Helmer Sullivan keeps it all moving at a lively pace. Despite the predictable story arc, he and writer Scott generally avoid plot tidiness, letting strands unwind and overlap, propelled by the terrific actors.

Cast: Calvin: Ice Cube; Eddie: Cedric the Entertainer; Jimmy: Sean Patrick Thomas; Terri: Eve; Isaac: Troy Garity; Ricky: Michael Ealy; Dinka: Leonard Earl Howze; Quentin Leroux: Harry Lennix; Alderman Brown: Robert Wisdom; Kenard: Kenan Thompson; Gina: Queen Latifah; Loretta: Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon; Miss Emma: Jackie Taylor.

Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan; Screenwriter: Don D. Scott; Producers: Robert Teitel, George Tillman Jr., Alex Gartner; Executive producers: Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez, Mark Brown; Director of photography: Tom Priestley; Production designer: Robb Wilson King; Music: Richard Gibbs; Costume designer: Jennifer Bryan; Editor: Paul Seydor.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter