The Best Man Holiday (2013)

When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.

Director:

Malcolm D. Lee

Writers:

Malcolm D. Lee, Malcolm D. Lee (characters)

Stars:

Monica Calhoun, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa

3 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monica Calhoun	...	Mia
Morris Chestnut	...	Lance
Melissa De Sousa	...	Shelby
Taye Diggs	...	Harper
Regina Hall	...	Candace
Terrence Howard	...	Quentin
Sanaa Lathan	...	Robyn
Nia Long	...	Jordan
Harold Perrineau	...	Julian
Eddie Cibrian	...	Brian
Riele Downs	...	Faith
Richie Lawrence	...	August
Millie Davis	...	Hope
Linden Liles-McCurdy	...	L.J.
Isis Moore	...	Kennedy

Storyline

Mia Sullivan (Monica Calhoun), wife of Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), has written letters requesting that the old gang should join them for Christmas: Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) and his almost-nine-month-pregnant wife Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Julian "Murch" Murchison (Harold Perrineau) and wife Candace Sparks (Regina Hall), her best friend Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long) and boyfriend Brian McDonald (Eddie Cibrian), Quentin "Q" Spivey (Terrence Howard), and Shelby Taylor (Melissa De Sousa). All the friends arrive at the house, the first time they've come together in 14 years, and the celebration begins. At dinner, the old friends catch up while tensions grow between Shelby and Candace. Years after his debut novel, Harper is struggling with writer's block, financial difficulties, and pressure from his publisher to come up with newer and better material for his next book. He has also been recently relieved of his faculty position at New York University, further complicating the couple's ...

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | written by director | african american | african american protagonist | ultrasound | 

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Taglines:

Times change. Friendship doesn't.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

In its first weekend of release in the United States it was able to gain back double its entire production budget.

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Goofs

When Lance is exiting the stadium, behind Harper, Quentin, and Julian the Buffalo Bills logo can be seen in the background. The football scenes were shot at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

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Quotes

Candace: I'm just saying, Jordan's good people, you should get to know her.
Robyn: What's to know? She's career-obsessed and lives on her BlackBerry.
Candace: True, but she's not some ideal from a piece of fiction. Now, her man, on the other hand, is iconic. Mmm. If I went that way, that's what I'd get. A tall, vanilla swagger latte. I like, I like, I like.

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Connections

Referenced in Where I Belong

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Soundtracks

Wedding Bells
Written by Cliff Lee, Consuela Lee Morehead (as Consuela Lee)
Performed by Cliff Lee Plus Three
Courtesy of Cliff/Cleff Music

User Reviews

Not As Good As Original, But Still Good 14 Years Later

As an African-American professional it severely pains me that, in general, when people think of "Black Cinema" in today's society their minds immediately head in one of two directions; A Tyler Perry film or a film in which racism plays a key plot role. Rarely do we see African-American men and women, living professional lifestyle, or even everyday lifestyles. This is why, at least to me, "The Best Man" still holds up to this day some 14 years later. They weren't stereotypical African-American characters and you saw them as just that... characters. The relationships amongst the cast were very strong and it appeared in the dynamics of their friendships. Unfortunately, a lot of that is lost in this sequel that, although appropriate for the time, somehow simultaneously seems to come a few years too late.

It's great to see the exact same ensemble cast return 14 years later when many films fail to do so even a year or two later. The aging on them with such a time lapse also adds to the dynamic of the film as well. However, this dynamic feels very wasted. In having grown apart in the past 14 years the script does a minimal job of establishing that the characters are now distant of one another. Where as in "The Best Man" the relationships felt strong and genuine in this film it should seem much easier to convey that the characters are distant; and yet the film fails at doing this.

Perhaps the film could have overcome this with a more concise plot. But instead the film focuses on several, incredibly predictable, plot points to draw you in. What occurs is a sense of confusion as to why you are seeing what you are seeing. One second you find yourself cheering for a friendship, or a certain character, and the next that story disappears for 15 minutes only to reemerge. Unfortunately, in order to bring all of these stories together the writers rely on two easily foreseeable plot devices which I will not spoil for you but you will surmise what they are within 20 minutes of viewing.

That said, despite these obvious flaws I found myself enjoying this film. As I sat with my wife I ran the gambit of emotions. I laughed often - even if at times it was from very juvenile sex or race jokes - and I bordered on tears at points. Terrence Howard's "Q" steals the show again some 14 years later. Other than Sanaa Lathan I found every member of the principle cast to be good. It was very good to see a film that, although no where near the quality of it's predecessor, still portrays African-American professionals, and now families, in a light that isn't overly stereotypical. An enjoyable film that I might not add to my personal collection but will certainly watch when others want to.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Twitter

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le garçon d'honneur: La suite

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,107,555, 17 November 2013

Gross USA:

$70,525,195

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$72,835,710

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Blackmaled Productions, Sean Daniel Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1