The Best Man Holiday

The Best Man Holiday, the latest film from director Malcolm D. Lee is an emotional powerhouse of a film. The look of the film and the performances by the very talented cast elevates this movie past just being a sequel to 1999 film The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday is a film that could solidly stand on it's own, and it's because of that that I give The Best Man Holiday four buckets of Killer Korn.












Very rarely does a sequel come along that somehow outshines its predecessor. I can think of three off the top of my head and it starts with The Godfather II, it almost made the first Godfather sleep with the fishes. Then there was Superman II that just threw the first Superman movie into the closet. Then The Empire Strikes Back almost made Star Wars forgettable, almost. Now comes The Best Man Holiday, a movie that in almost every way outshines and out performs its predecessor The Best Man. The entire cast from the 1999 hit is back reprising their roles, and once again the movie centers are Taye Diggs character, author Harper Stewart. He and his now wife Robyn, played by Sanaa Lathan have relocated to NYC where Harper teaches at NYU while continuing to write and Robyn is an up and coming chef.

Still reeling from the fractured friendship between Harper and his one time best friend, devout New York Giant football player Lance Sullivan, played by Morris Chestnut, Lances wife Mia who is played by Monica Calhoun sends Harper and his wife an invite to come celebrate Christmas with them. Mia has invited all the old gang to do the same and they all converge on Lance's mansion in New Jersey. From there the hilarity ensues, along with some serious family and friendship issues. The laughter is brilliantly offset by the drama so there are times where you think you should laugh only to find out the moment wasn't what you thought it was. There's a lot of anger, resentment, distrust, jealousy, and love in this movie amongst the characters. That love comes to the forefront when tragedy strikes at the heart of the friendship. I warn you now, bring some tissues.

The Best Man Holiday is not the gigglefest the first movie was. Where that one dealt with young people just finding their footing and the world was their oyster. Holiday shows them now as adults dealing with all the pressures that come with that. Expectations unmet, troubled finances, lies and omissions between spouses, and misplaced anger amongst friends. Malcolm D. Lee wrote the first Best Man and he wrote this one as well and he displayed a firm grip on not just his characters and where they are but life as a "responsible" adult.

Shot by cinematographer Greg Gardiner, the look of the film is exquisite, the color palate of the film was somewhat boring but Greg captured each moment perfectly. There was no score, Malcolm choosing instead to sprinkle in Christmas songs and a Stevie Wonder hit throughout the movie and it was a deft decision. I highly recommend The Best Man Holiday, especially if you enjoyed The Best Man and want to revisit these characters again. It's well worth the price of admission, just don't forget to bring some tissues (you'll thank me) and I'll see you at the theater.