Think of a Spike Lee film. Do The Right Thing springs to mind. But take out the subtle and clever layering of the various communities and cultures and dumb the dialogue down a bit, replacing scything political comments with comedy.

Perhaps even simplify the plot so it fits on a raffle ticket.

All you need is the money to make the movie, and you have a sequel to the successful Ice Cube vehicle Barbershop.

Despite being a caffeine-free Diet Coke version of a Spike Lee joint, Barbershop 2 is a surprisingly likeable comedy sequel set in Chicago's predominantly black south side.

Retaining much of the original cast, Ice Cube plays the lead role of Calvin, a barbershop owner up against the ways of the world, whose shop contains a variety of personalities with plenty to say on life.

Much of the focus of the original pertained to the pull-no-punches script that passed opinions on black celebrities from Rodney King to OJ Simpson.

The sequel is much the same, even going so far as to risk libel with chat about R. Kelly.

And so the plot doesn't drive the movie.

Sure, there's something about corporate greed with a rival barbers shop opening up across the street, added to the complication of an on-the-take Alderman whose willingness to propose the bulldozing and rebuilding of the area threatens the livelihoods of the locals.

But that's purely narrative for the sake of it. In fact the film would work better and perhaps hit more notes if it simply went for the jugular on the political front.

While corporation's such as Wal-Mart and McDonald's threaten small communities, the subject is badly approached and used purely as a reason for the characters to make it to the end of the week.

The comedy though is often very good. The script is easily as sharp as the original but ultimately, directionless.

None of the subjects that interest the characters are dealt with sufficiently, and the array of black heroes referred to either in the opening sequence or through out the film, get a shout out purely for being black heroes and not in terms of any actual context within the film.

Performance wise, Cedric The Entertainer is given license to steal the movie - especially with the flashbacks to his former years as a young black man in 60s America.

Ice Cube meanwhile is good enough to act as straight man to a series of comedy characters, although he clearly still hasn't taken a single acting lesson since Boyz In Da Hood.

Queen Latifah, however, quite frankly didn't need to be in the film at all. She serves no narrative purpose and is easily about as funny as Michael Barrymore on Valium.

Warm and friendly, Barbershop 2 perhaps could have been a useful vehicle for highlighting such community issues as the ridiculous Welfare To Work scheme, but ultimately it bottles it for an audience friendly finale.

Worth watching, even if it is simply a rip off of Channel 4's Desmond's.

Richard Phippen