Plot
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 6.2/10 (529 voted)
Director:Malcolm D. Lee
Storyline
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.
Filming Locations: Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Box Office Details
Budget: $17,000,000
(estimated)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
I have probably watched the first movie, The Best Man, at least 5 to 6
times since it came out. It was funny, presented new angles for Black
actors, and though Christianity, as with most Black films, was in
there, it wasn't overdone. As for the sequel, it is rare to get a whole
cast to return when more than a decade has passed, and truly I think,
when it comes to original movies and not ones based off someone who was
alive, this is the best film featuring a Black majority cast in a
while.
Characters & Story
In the film, everyone comes back and really the only new editions are
the kids of the characters and the obligatory White co-star. For those
who haven't seen the first film though, the majority of the casts are
all doing White-Collar work. Harper (played by Taye Diggs) is an
author, and former teacher at NYU; his wife Robyn (played by Sanaa
Lathan) is a Chef; his best friend Lance (played by Morris Chestnut) is
a football player who is soon to retire; his wife Mia (played by Monica
Calhoun) is a housewife; then there is Jordan (played by Nia Long) who
works for MSNBC in a executive producer role; her new boyfriend Brian
(played by Eddie Cibrian) who seemingly works on Wall Street; then
there is Julian (played by Harold Perrineau) who seems to be a
innovator in education, and runs his own school with the assistance of
his wife Candace (played by Regina Hall); the last two to mention are
Shelby (played by Melissa De Sousa) who is a reality TV star, and
Quentin (played by Terrence Howard) who owns a managing firm.
Altogether, they all have the type of lives and careers which make them
sound like Cosby Show kids, but they also have quite a bit of drama as
well. Most of which is featured in the first movie so I won't go into
all that. However, for this movie the idea is coming back together and
trying to mend bonds which have weakened due to lack of time, effort
and because of bad blood.
Praise
Probably the top thing about this movie is the comedy. This is a tad
bit of social comedy in the film, but a large amount of laughs come
from them cracking jokes on each other. Some of it is just jabs at one
another, like the joke about Harper having a low sperm count, but other
times the jokes were vicious like the fight Candace and Shelby have. At
the same time though, I must also praise the non-comedic performances.
Mind you, those who have seen the original, there is a lot of already
existing drama since so many people dated each other, had sex with each
other, or liked each other, in the group. Due to this, the chemistry
between character and their history causes friction. But, naturally
there is one thing which brings them together and bond like a family.
Unfortunately though, said situation will bring the tears which makes
me glad for Shelby and Quentin for comic relief. For, when I say a
situation will bring you to tears, I mean that for at least 15 minutes
I was dripping tears, sometimes it getting intense to the point I was
lightly shaking and the roof of my mouth was hurting. So needless to
say, bring your tissues for the writing and performances will test your
sense of empathy.
Criticism
Which leads the few issues with the film. The main issue is that I do
feel Harper and Lance's relationship is less natural, in terms of
writing and situations, than the rest of the stories. The thing which
causes conflict between the two, after they reconcile, specifically is
what I felt was sort of forced and was eye-roll inducing. Still, it
helped push the story along. The only other issue, and this is really
nitpicking, is that Lance brings an almost Tyler Perry style faith in
Christianity which only bothered me since I am growing tired of Black
characters solely being Christian and not spreading their wings to
other faiths, or being agnostic/ atheist.
Overall: Worth Seeing
Usually I count how often I laugh when I see a comedy film, but I
enjoyed myself so much I forgot to. Truly, this film reminds me why I
watch the original, Love Jones, Jason's Lyric, and other romantic
dramedys that came out in the 90s/00s. They remind you, as a movie
enthusiast, that there is more out there for Black actors than them
doing slave roles, doing buffoon comedy pictures, or doing films based
off people's lives. And this isn't to say that there aren't dramatic
roles done which are fiction or original, but when do they get the type
of push The Best Man Holiday is getting? This is why I think it is
worth seeing. Not just because it is a good film featuring Black
people, or because it is a sequel to a classic, but because it is a
good film period. One that does enough to acknowledge these are
African-Americans we are seeing, but in a Cosby Show way so that it
isn't trying to alienate a general audience, and speak to more than
simply the skin color, and backgrounds, of the cast. Truly, I hope this
film inspires another renaissance, for we are badly in need of one.
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