The Best Man - Hochzeit mit Hindernissen

Enjoyed film. Strong, young cast.

Touching at times. Hilarious at other times.

Well written story. Excellent first direction for Malcolm Lee.

Audience at TIFF reacted well to the film. The director was very gracious in responding to questions after the presentation.

It's always a pleasure to see a film with an all-black cast which is well put together and actually "about" something. The story line of this script -- an author's revelations about his good friends in his first novel, and how potentially damaging they can be -- was plausible and enjoyable. The personality of Quentin, arguably the most complex and fascinating character, was a bit of a tease, and like some of the other viewers, I was hungry for more of him! Nia Long always turns in superb performances, and this one doesn't disappoint. The weakest link in the film was Taye Diggs, whose acting is about as animated as a cigar store Indian . . . but judging from the female audience reaction every time he took off his shirt, acting ability may be irrelevant to his career. On the whole, it's a great "date" flick, and you'll leave the theatre with a big grin on your face.

I was surprised to see how little attention this film garnered, despite it's amazing cast and intelligent script. Character based scripts walk a delicate line, but somehow most seem to reap in undeserving praises (St. Elmo's Fire, The Big Chill). Not to sound like a self-righteous broken record, but I truly believe "The Best Man" was passed over because it happened to have an African American cast. It was instantly labeled a "black" movie, before anyone bothered to watch more than the trailer, which is a crying shame, because what everyone missed out on was a fine film.

The characters range from classic (Morris Chestnut's Lance) to surprisingly fresh (Terrence Howard's Quentin), all with very distinct personalities, yet believable connections. (Am I the only one who is so sick of using the "went to college together" excuse for why some film characters are friends, despite the obvious fact that in reality the "cool rebel" doesn't hang with the "prudish nerd" and so on.)

Not only does the film have refreshing takes on the inter-dimensional relationships of characters, it's not afraid to face the characters honestly, to show each individual's flaws...they have depth, soul, contradictions, much like REAL PEOPLE! Amazing! The themes are universal; friends, love, mistakes, forgiveness. The dialogue is witty, yet not overly done to sound like "movie dialogue" that no one in the real world speaks.

And though the race of the characters does not matter in this movie, I applaud Malcolm D. Lee for writing a film featuring black characters that are all successful, independent and intelligent. No one is rapping or drug dealing, no one is blaming the man for setbacks. The characters actually represent the MAJORITY of the black community, just regular people, living their lives. How refreshing from the Hollywood stereotypes, believed by suburban white America, that every successful black man is a rapper or a basketball player and every other one a criminal or janitor. It's a shame this film didn't make for money, perhaps then we'd see more of this trend, movies based on script rather than race.

Though I loved it, this film probably won't change your life. It's not one that will ever be considered one of the best films ever (though I think it took bold steps in closing the race gap in film). And I'm not saying it's an absolute must-see for everyone. But for discerning viewers with perhaps some taste and hunger for something a little different, I recommend you treat yourself to something that you probably haven't seen in a long time: a simply good movie.

I saw this five years ago on DVD and grabbed it the other day in the video store wanting an oldie/goodie. So tired of watching homogenized films about stealing the groom from the bride; cheating on the bride-to-be while on a road-trip in wine country; the sad/depressed bridesmaid/maid-of-honor tragically gets dumped by her escort; blah-blah-blah. What this film offers us instead is something in the eyes of four Af-Am buddies who get together before one of them ties the knot. And there are no race cards pulled. The film does not zero on one of the characters and their drug/alcohol problem, or gang-related problemos, or any stereotypical stuff like that. No- what Malcolm Lee did instead was deliver us with an ensemble cast who just happen to be black, mix in a smooth R & B soundtrack with it and a give us a fun premise.

It's simple: Harper (Diggs) is on the brink of publishing his first novel with characters loosely based on his friends from college. He flies to New York to get together with his buddies before attending his friend's wedding. During that time, he encounters an old flame that got away; the changes in ideology and values with others. But on the night of the bachelor party, Lance (Chestnut) gets his paws on a copy and reads it, puzzling together the composites while blaming Diggs for cheating with his fiancée.

Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Dashon Howard, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun, Sanaa Lathan, and the rest of all the cast get the fattest props because without their acting, this would've been a train wreck. What makes these characters so unique and human is that they're not stereotypical caricature's and each of them all evolve their own style. Taye Diggs is the quiet pragmatist of them all, yet he's no dork. Morris Chestnut is Lance the football "player"/groom-to-be. Harold Perrineau is the hopelessly, pathetically whipped brother-man with heart and Terrence Dashon Howard (from this year's "Crash")steals every scene he's in as the cynical but cool cat musician buddy. Nia Long is the former flame of Taye Diggs with Sanaa Lathan as his girlfriend.

Yeah, the story is a little predictable. Yeah, it's a little lewd and sexist (the scene at the poker table, but I love those lines: "Bite it!", "Grow it!"). The very ending is something we've seen before, yet it's funny anyway. Only problem was that this film was probably labeled as a "black film" at the time and that was probably why it received such poor box office (a'la "Waiting to Exhale", "Boomerang"). Perhaps Hollywood wasn't ready to see that and preferred a movie about a suburban, white, dysfunctional family instead. Oh, and gave it Best Picture, too.

The Best Man is a very entertaining romantic comedy. The ensemble cast clicks and clashes with one another at just the right moments. Taye Diggs's character, Harper, is charming and charismatic, but WHY would he write a book that causes pain to those close to him? Is it to enlighten his friends or to reveal his own frailties? Perhaps, a little of both.

There is a good mix of very funny and also intense emotional moments and the audience is captured; cheering some of the cast and hissing others. It's quite uncanny that transformation occurs for certain characters especially when it's needed. Terrence Howard's character, Quentin, is a prime example. At the beginning of the film Quentin is basically a guy who lacks direction and propriety in his behavior. Over the course of the film, he becomes the voice of wisdom and the glue that holds it together for those closest to him.

Malcolm Lee's directorial debut is quite admirable in this well paced, universally appealing film. Don't miss it.