Now Hair This: Judge Says Chris Rock Film Will Be Released

Filmmaker tried to stop Rock's movie about hair from being shown

Chris Rock, known for his comedy, had to put the jokes aside and deal with a legal challenge over his documentary about hair. A woman asked a federal judge in Los Angeles to stop next Friday's nationwide release of Rock's film "Good Hair."

But the judge has rejected her bid and the show will go on.

Regina Kimbell claimed her 2006 documentary "My Nappy Roots" is the basis for Rock's documentary and contends the comedian stole the concept from her.

But Rock has said in interviews that he got the idea for the film when his 6-year-old daughter asked him why she didn't have "good hair."

Kimbell was seeking $5 million in damages and an injunction preventing Rock and HBO Films from distributing and showing "Good Hair" without Kimbell's consent and from "designating anything other than 'My Nappy Roots' as the inspiration" for Rock's film. Kimbell contends she screened her film for Rock in 2007.

In Kimbell's feature-length film, celebrities and others discuss such hair techniques and styles as the conk, press and curl, the Afro, the Jheri curl, and dreadlocks. The film won the best documentary prize at the 2007 Hollywood Black Film Festival.

Rock's documentary, "Good Hair," also uses celebrities to examine the lengths black women go to keep their hair looking more like the hair of Europeans.

Rock's "Good Hair" Trailer:

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