Review: The Best Man Holiday
By Christine Petralia





Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
November 17, 2013
*Spoiler Alerts*
What a great feel-good, tear-jerker holiday film. I did not see the first film, The Best Man, but I was told it was just as good. All of the actors, now pretty big names, returned for the sequel 15 years later to reprise the same roles. And I can only assume, just as the actors have grown, so have the characters.
After a brief refresher from the first film in the credits, it begins with Harper (Taye Diggs) learning that his second book, after the first one did so well, is a dud. In addition, he’s lost his job at NYU and has a baby on the way. He’s been invited to his former best friend’s home for Christmas, and he isn’t sure if he wants to go. After his agent suggests writing a biography on the friend, Giants football star Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), and a quick meeting with his best female friend Jordan (Nia Long), Harper decides to attend the holiday weekend with his very pregnant wife, Robin (Sanaa Lathan).
Things are awkward between Lance and Harper, but after their other friends arrive, the tension sort of dissipates. The crew includes the straight-laced Julian Murch (Harold Perrineau), his former stripper wife Candance/Candy (Regina Hall) and their kids, Julian’s ex-lover turned Housewife Shelby (Melissa De Sousa) with her kids and playboy Quentin (Terrance Howard). Lance’s wife Mia (Monica Calhoun) has planned an eventful holiday, complete with dinners, gingerbread-house making, a talent show and a spa day.
Tensions start to get high again as Murch finds out about his wife’s past on YouTube. He shares this information with the guys, instead of just bringing it up to his wife, which of course causes issues when Shelby finds the video.
Soon after Harper finds out Mia has cancer, and not much time left, the group also finds out. While Harper is comforting Jordan, Robin gets jealous and angry at him. Meanwhile, Lance finds a mock-up of the possible biography that Harper has been taking notes on, but has yet to bring up to him.
Everything unfolds on Christmas Eve, but soon all is resolved by Christmas Day, when it’s clear Mia’s time is up. However, she holds on to see her husband win the big Christmas Day football game and meet his career highs.
During the funeral, Robin, of course, goes into labor. The group can’t make it to the hospital in all the traffic and she’s forced to push in the SUV with Lance coaching her. Again, tensions are high as the baby is breach, but Lance somehow manages to save the day. The baby is named after Mia.
I honestly though this would just be a cheesy rom-com and was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters and the plot. While it was simple, it was still complex and held my attention throughout the entire film. The acting was great, as as soon as Mia revealed she had cancer, I didn’t stop crying until after her funeral. You really could get invested in the film, especially with its diverse cast. It is filled with humor, love and loss and just leaves you feeling great when you walk out of the theater.
I think was makes this film great though is how it wasn’t childish. Though Q is sophomoric, even his character has evolved over the years. What was funny 15 years ago, is not funny now, and the script evolved over time too, which makes it perfect. I hope that if there’s a third film, which they alluded to, that the cast and crew takes their time to develop it so it’s just as great as this one.
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