Review of The Best Man Holiday

Imagine a sequel, made 14 years after the original film, in today's Hollywood. Normally, such a cash-grab of an idea would reek of desperation, but thankfully that's not the case with The Best Man Holiday. This movie came about because director Malcolm D. Lee and the cast from the original The Best Man were interested in having a reunion, plain and simple. And so, with the entire gang back in the fold, Lee succeeds once again with a slice-of-life tale combining equally effective comedy and drama. There's nothing subtle about this movie; The Best Man Holiday is striving full-throttle to embrace that bygone saying, "You'll laugh and you'll cry." But damn it, you'd have to be the bleakest of cynics not to go along for the ride at some point during the movie's 2-hour running time.

The Best Man Holiday opens with a recap of events from the 1999 feature, showing how each of the primary characters' lives have progressed in the past decade-plus. Harper (Taye Diggs), the author whose book caused plenty of controversy in the first movie, is suffering from writer's block. He's also under dire financial stress, which is especially problematic since he and his wife Robyn (Sanaa Lathan) are expecting their first child. He accepts a Christmas party invitation from his estranged best friend Lance (Morris Chestnut) and his wife Mia (Monica Calhoun) in hopes that he might be able to score the rights to write Lance's biography. Lance is an NFL running back approaching retirement and close to breaking the all-time rushing record, but he vehemently opposes someone telling his story. Joining them are Harper's ex-flame, TV producer Jordan (Nia Long) and her new boyfriend, Brian (Eddie Cibrian); as well as couple Julian (Harold Perrineau) and Candice (Regina Hall). Playing the 9th and 10th wheel of this party are bitchy reality-TV star Shelby (Melissa De Souza), and the freewheeling, uninhibited Quentin (Terrence Howard). As one might expect, over the course of the weekend, long-dormant wounds and rivalries are renewed before a tragedy brings everyone together.

The dominant strengths of The Best Man Holiday, as was the case of the the previous film, are dialogue and character depth. The setup and trajectory of this movie may seem cliche, but the characters act believably and easily rope us into their corner. In spite of the 14-year gap between movies, this film doesn't as much to say about how relationships change over time as, say, Richard Linklater's Before Midnight. Instead, The Best Man Holiday is about overcoming struggles with communication and the difficulty of healing old wounds, and that's something every viewer can relate to. Even in its later stages, when the film takes a sharp left turn from comedy/light drama to full-on melodrama, it still treats its characters and situations with respect.

Acting is strong across the board, which is no surprise considering that playing these characters again must feel like putting on an old pair of gloves. Taye Diggs is once again superb as a decent but flawed man trying to reclaim past glory as well as deal with impending fatherhood. Equally effective is Morris Chestnut, whose character has grown into a model citizen with a creed of "God, Family, Football, in that order," but still has trouble letting sleeping dogs lie. Also, in spite of the word "man" in the title, the actresses share nearly equal screen time. Monica Calhoun, Nia Long, and Sanaa Lathan are especially strong, and the first member of that trio nails all of the movie's most emotional moments without once going over the top. Finally, Terrence Howard is an absolute delight. He's mostly comic relief, but 90% of the film's funniest moments come from him.

Lee's film occasionally shows the seams. As well-written and well-acted as this movie is, it doesn't need a stock soundtrack kicking in at just the right moments for maximum effect. Some of the subplots, particularly those involving Melissa De Souza's Shelby, don't work as well as intended and are resolved a little too conveniently. In order to fully flesh out all ten characters, The Best Man Holiday might have needed a running time approaching three hours. And the football scenes, at least for this loyal viewer, ring utterly false. But these are small blemishes on an otherwise rewarding experience.

The Best Man Holiday provides an interesting counterpart to 2013's movies about race relations. Frankly, as strong as some of those films are (including two of my favorites of the year, Fruitvale Station and 12 Years a Slave), we need movies like this one too-- stories with all-Black casts that deal with relationships and communication rather than violence or racism. Plus, this movie's themes are universal; audiences of other ethnic backgrounds need not feel left out. The Best Man Holiday has all the elements of a crowd-pleaser in place and delivers whats expected of it. And with the film ending on a note that promises another sequel, hopefully we don't have to wait anywhere near 14 years for a third outing. I, for one, would welcome one.


Rating: *** (out of ****)