'Good Hair' has no obvious direction

Director: Jeff Stilson

Cast: Chris Rock, Lance Crouther, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson

Did you wash and comb your hair before reading this? Is your hair straight or wavy, maybe it’s curly?

A question posed by his young daughter about her hair prompted comedian Chris Rock to produce this comedy documentary about the influence of the $10bn (€7.8bn) hair industry on Afro-American women, who seem willing to suffer both financial and physical damage to have the ‘right’ hair … apparently straight or wavy.

It’s an interesting, not to say curious, subject for a film and while Rock and director Stilson go to great lengths to get to the, er, root of it, even attending the annual Hair Convention in Atlanta (only in America!), the film has no obvious direction.

Nor does it take a stand against the unhealthy toxins and exploitation that lie at the heart of the search for the perfect head, which anyway depends on the need for an acceptable image.

Star Rating: 2/5