They’re back! With a richer, emotional tone, writer-director Malcolm D. Lee raises the bar on the characters, that many fans thought they knew, in The Best Man Holiday.
In this long-awaited sequel to 1999’s The Best Man, Mr. Lee reassembles the original cast nearly 15 years later by extending their stories. The college friends reunite over the Christmas holidays.
Debuting with a whopping $10.7 million on opening day, this past Friday November 15th, The Best Man Holiday holds your attention through its entirety. What made the movie a little uneasy was how each emotional period transitioned. For instance, if there was a sad moment, immediately afterwards something comical would happen making it difficult to concentrate on certain situations. In contrast, there were many moments where certain male egos were heightened while others decomposed. There were, also, catty moments between the female leads which gave the film that familiar all around feel-good character driven comedic melodrama.
For those of you who haven’t seen the first film, here’s a brief synopsis: The plot mildly centers around the polite and mild-mannered Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), a writer whose novel “Unfinished Business” features thinly disguised versions of his friends. One of those friends, the sassy and successful Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long) gets her copy first, and passes it on to everyone mentioned, including best friend and football heavyweight Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut). In addition to many personal moments, the book details the one-night stand between Harper and Lance’s soon to be wife, Mia Morgan (Monica Calhoun). Harper’s reluctance about Lance reading the book is a combination of the devout friendship that he shares with Lance and the fact that he’s the chosen best man for Lance and Mia’s wedding.
Fast forward to 2013. The opening credits reveal how everyone has matured, how they’ve expanded their families, and how they’ve have had major career boosts. Deep down there’s business that still needs sorting out. Without giving it away, I’ll just say – the events that take place allow some unresolved issues to come full circle while in the midst of misfortune.
Rounding out the cast is Harper’s supportive and tolerant wife, Robyn (Sanaa Lathan); the nice but unable to keep a secret Julian (Harold Perrineau); Julian’s current and former stripper girlfriend (Regina Hall); his snobbish and feisty ex-girlfriend Shelby (Melissa De Sousa); and last but not least, the sarcastic, yet charismatic Quentin Spivey, brilliantly played by (Terrence Howard). Although the entire cast had funny moments, Howard serves as the main comic relief in the film.
All of the actors seem comfortable reprising their roles. Diggs, Chestnut, and Howard deliver stellar performances which surpass the versions they portrayed in the first film. They reconnect onscreen in ways that allow us to deeply feel the passage of time. Their characters are given larger and more pivotal moments which allow their relationships to deepen. There’s even a new cast member, Mr. Eddie Cibrian.
Without going into detail, I’ll close by mentioning – if you’re the kind that generally weeps during emotional scenes in movies, bring some Kleenex.
“The Best Man Holiday” is in theaters now.