It's no easy feat, this state of follicular well-being described in the title Good Hair. A comedic documentary from producer/star Chris Rock and director Jeff Stilson, Good Hair has several complementary agendas, the best of which is simply examining how much effort (and money) African-American women put into maintaining their hair. For many, it isn't actually "their" hair at all, but an expensive weave -- extensions made of real hair that may have originated in a far-flung location like India, where it may have been shaved off during a religious ceremony. Other women endure serious skin burns from the harsh chemical treatments they get to straighten their natural curls. Rock's man-on-the-street interviews with hair-industry professionals and salon customers are always funny and revealing, but perhaps even more telling are the studio interviews with celebrities, who cop to a variety of insider secrets that might undermine the illusion of authenticity they're trying to project -- an illusion that may be key to their very marketability.
As frivolous as some of these extreme practices may seem, Good Hair makes it clear they're a core part of the modern identity of African-American women, necessitated by what magazines and society have decided to label "beautiful." The film is less interesting when it follows top stylists preparing to compete against each other, and all the pageantry that entails. But that portion does provide a necessary sense of forward momentum, as well as introducing some characters who are so eccentric, Christopher Guest would have to invent them if they didn't already exist. Good Hair is a funny movie, to be sure -- sometimes very funny. Chris Rock doesn't know any other way. But it's clear Rock also needs these laughs to soften a tragic reality: too many black women are conditioned to think they should loathe their hair.