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A sequel to 1999’s ‘The Best Man’, The Best Man Holiday finds Lance (Morris Chesnut), Harper (Taye Diggs), Quentin (the ever-charming Terrance Howard) and Julian (Harold Perrineau) reunited for a Christmas weekend at Lance’s mansion.
Things have changed in all that time for the quartet. Harper is trying to match the success of his previous book, and is therefore considering a biography of his former best friend and retiring running back Lance…without his knowledge. Lance is dealing with personal struggles of his own and has yet to forgive Harper for the transgressions between him and Mia from years ago. Julian has lost a major donation to his college due to Candace’s wild youth, and Quentin is still Quentin: Getting high and living the single man’s dream.
The film also brings back Mia (Monica Calhoun), still married to Lance and harboring a few secrets of her own; Candace (Regina Hall), married to Julian and trying to move past her stripper days; Robyn (Sanaa Lathan) is now expecting with Harper and still also fears Harper’s connection with Jordan (Nia Long), who is learning love for the first time with her new man, Brian (Eddie Cibrian). And who can forget Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), now a villainous cast member to a Real Housewives show and bitchy as ever.
I have to say, I thought The Best Man was affable enough, but it was never a film I thought warranted a sequel. The plot was pretty basic (Harper slept with Mia, Lance finds out on the eve of the wedding) and nothing rang memorable except for the characters and their interactions. Thankfully, that is what The Best Man Holiday sticks to and creates a film that both does not require you to see the previous film, as well as engages you enough to want to see this group reunite one more time.
Holiday is that rare combination of comedy, warmth and holiday spirit that is so missing at this time of year. It tackles the realities of where these characters would be at this stage of their lives, and it never plays as anything less than genuine. Each of the main foursome are coming together as they try to make sense of their lives: Lance embracing his faith amidst despair, Harper facing financial ruin and parenthood at the same moment, Julien questioning his own marriage due to others perceptions, and Quentin finally realizing that he is getting too old for his chivalrous lifestyle. Of course, by the end of the film, they have reacquainted their brotherly bond.
Every performance eclipses the original film by a mile. Throughout that previous film, I felt each character was nothing more than a bland caricature, while in Holiday, they are fleshed out and shown to have grown into people we all want to have a Christmas weekend with. There are many portions of the film that leap immediately from laughs to tragedy and back again, yet the performances kept the film honest. Howard, as usual, is the standout with the best timing, but everyone brings their A game to the film.
Director Malcolm Lee does not have many films worthy of high praise (Scary Movie V, Undercover Brother), but it seems the cast has helped him finally find his groove and, with the exception of maybe dragging the ending out a hair, brought together a very funny and heartfelt film I was nowhere near expecting.
The Best Man Holiday offers up heaps of laughs and tears, and was a pleasant relief from all of the dreary films as of late. This is one Holiday I plan to revisit every year.
If $10 is the full price of admission, The Best Man Holiday is worth $8
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