The Seat Filler

I tend to be pretty easy on romance movies; people tend to know what to expect with these. But sometimes there's a part of the movie that just takes away from everything else. The male best friend character was that for me. He works well enough in small doses, but the longer he lingers in a scene, the more annoying he gets. There was a similar issue with the competing love interest, but the team behind this movie had enough thought to limit his scenes to prevent him falling into the same problem.

The movie as a whole is decent enough, but the character previously mentioned made it hard to watch at times.

The plot of "The Seat Filler", when you strip it down to its basic components, is just the same as dozens of other romantic comedies. If you know the basic structure of the "boy meets girl" story, especially if it more specifically entails "boy meets girl, then pretends to be someone he's not even though he's being himself the whole time", you pretty much know how the story will go.

That being said, however, this romantic comedy holds its own based solely on the strength of intriguing characters, witty dialog, and overall noteworthy acting from most, if not all, involved.

Duane Martin, who also co-wrote and produced this movie, really makes a great leading man, and does very well as a character that many people, regardless of race, can relate to. He's very funny in this movie, and he has a very genuine down-to-earth charm that had me root for him throughout the entire movie. If you don't believe he's a good actor, it should be noted that Martin, although he played a man in his late 20's, is actually in his early 40's. He was so convincing, he could play a man a decade and a half his junior! That says something. It really does.

DeRay Davis, whose face is more familiar than his name, is also gut-bustingly hilarious as E.J., Martin's fast-talking, wise-cracking roommate. Davis's precise comic timing makes up for some slight plot holes regarding his situation. Specifically, it's never fully determined how the both of them are able to afford the apartment they're in. E.J. appears to be making as much money, if not less, than Martin's character Derrick, and he doesn't appear to have too much ambition to make any more money. But this technicality could be explained in other ways, too, I suppose.

Kelly Rowland is admittedly less experienced in acting than Martin, but what she lacks in experience she makes up for in credibility. Rowland in this movie plays someone who should not feel completely unfamiliar to her: a successful solo R&B artist. It's not clarified in this movie how big a star she is, whether she is a crossover success or not. It's true that she's famous enough to have people take pictures of her on the red carpet, and to afford a house as big as she has.

It is certain that Rowland has an incredible charm to her. She is incredibly beautiful, but she also has an ability to be so down to earth you just love her to death. I know I did. Rowland gets compared to Beyonce all the time, which isn't hard to figure out. However, Rowland may actually have a stronger gift for acting than her former bandmate which, should it be honed further, could result in a greater screen roles for her. Although Rowland shows some inexperience in this role, she shows a lot of promise.

It was surprising to see other supporting acting performances here from those who could have been in bigger movies, such as Kyla Pratt ("Fat Albert", "Dr. Doolittle") and Melanie Brown (formerly known as Scary Spice of the Spice Girls). They are experienced, but they fortunately don't try too hard to steal scenes or overact. That's pretty notable, and it's what makes this low-budget film a lot more memorable than some paltry big budget black comedies such as "Are We Done Yet" or "College Road Trip".

Others may be impressed by the cameos in this movie by the likes of Chante Moore, Kenny Lattimore, and Eriq La Salle. They are impressive, but the acting really carries this film. I found this movie at a video rental store, and I bought it used. It was indeed a worthwhile investment, and a movie I will probably go back to again and again. Sure it was predictable, but the acting really carried this movie. So I am recommending it.

Admittedly, Kelly Rowland playing a superstar who falls for the common guy is a bit well, predictable, but otherwise, this is one of the few films that made me smile and giggle.

Rowland is beautiful and her supporting cast are just right, even Melanie Brown's small role is wonderfully complimentary. Deray is hilarious, as is Mr Gorgeous Shemar Moore in his small role as the ex boyfriend.

It's nice to watch a film with a predominantly black cast that doesn't rely on stereotypes or "white man can't jump" kind of jokes. It's just a cute love story. There may not be any "dramatic arcs" or much in depth "character development"... but seriously, how much are you expecting out of a unassuming romcom? Not every single movie has to be a Scorsese or a Mendes.

There are quite a few funny lines, the acting is more than bearable and the directing pretty great. For me it's like the black Notting Hill, so I can't understand all the criticism people can find with this film.

My opinion: definitely a film you can enjoy with your friends on a girls night in. I can't see anything to complain about, it does the job it sets out to do, entertain.

Kelly Rolland was great and shows she can act as well as sing.I believe that she should be given more opportunities to display her skills as a actress. i fill that the martins did a great job in casting her as a lead. and the movie itself was a great movie a lot of fun and romantic at the same time i loved it. i wish they would release it in the movie theaters so that every one would get a chance to see it, it would allow people to see a good romantic so called black film and know that we can do other things besides sell drugs and shoot people in our movies. it was a good, good and it should be out there so it can reach everyone. And to the Dwayne and Tisha keep writing these great stories and keep making people aware of our talents for all types of roles

I happen to be a man that likes the romantic movies. I developed this affection from watching the old-school stuff with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Cary Grant, Doris Day, et 'al. I liked this movie a lot. It was marvelously funny, sentimental, interesting, simply a fun movie. Hollywood would do good to allow such movies to go to major theaters. It has very little profanity. I mean it uses language you can take a 13 yr. old to without cringing. No blatant skin showing or violence. Good solid movie. I went to the premier of this movie in Washington, D.C. The audience had a ball with it. DeRay Davis is "off-the-hook". Kelly Rowland is beautiful. Duane Martin is well directed and believable. The rest of the cast fits in well and are not annoying.