Even if you have seen it before, watch the original The Best Man movie again, before viewing the sequel. The Best Man Holiday picks up where the original left off, albeit some 14 years later. All the plot lines, intrigues and romances continue and develop in solid fashion.
In the original, four young, up and coming brothers spend a weekend together before the wedding of the professional football player of the group. They are all good buddies, but deep festering secrets come to the fore and somehow have to be resolved.
You really feel for the characters played by, Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, Terrence Howard and all the rest. It is a solid, adult drama and a comedy too. You really enter their world and you want to stay there for a while, but the movie alas, like all good things, comes to an end.
But then you have The Best Man Holiday to continue the adventure! And the second film is not at all a rehashing or a stretching out of the first, as it takes some decidedly different twists and turns. It is interesting to see how these actors have aged physically, and their characters have changed psychologically. The director, Spike Lee’s cousin Malcolm Lee, who also directed Love and Basketball, crafts a fascinating, engrossing story within the confines of the continuing plot lines of the original that is, believe it or not, actually better than the first film. In short, The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday are two thoroughly enjoyable films. Check them out and tell your friends! (Not suitable for children under 17.) Arthur Lewin www.AfricaUnlimited.com
