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The Best Man, 1999, 118 minutes, Rated R
By Ramona L. Prioleau
Denizens of the independent film circuit who fell in love with Malcolm Lee's
short film, Morningside Prep, take heed - The Best Man is a studio film.
While the distinct male voice of the 26-year-old Lee that infused every scene in Morningside
with a rare kinetic energy is present in the 29-year-old's feature film debut; it is
confined by a formula requiring upbeat closure and neatly packaged with pizzazz for the
movie-going masses. Nevertheless, The Best Man is very entertaining. So, if you
can bear a vision of the middle class that doesn't
embrace diverse feminine images, then escape with this semi-romantic tale that's long
on comedy and light on drama. |
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Mia (Monica Calhoun)
and Lance (Morris Chestnut) in The Best Man |
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To Buy
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Best transports you into the lives
of a group of friends reunited for a weekend to celebrate the nuptials of college
classmates. But before vows are taken and the broom is jumped, Best will test the
friendship and faith of these upwardly mobile twenty somethings.
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Riding high on the thrust of his own arrogance and good fortune, budding
novelist Harper (Taye Diggs in an uninspired performance) travels to New York to serve as
best man in the wedding of Mia (Monica Calhoun) and Lance (wonderfully played by Morris
Chestnut). Harper soon discovers that his forthcoming novel, Unfinished Business,
is circulating among his friends thanks to Jordan (portrayed with signature gusto by Nia
Long). Jordan is a dynamic television producer who zeros in on what she wants and pursues
it with upfront, in your face tenacity and this includes an affair with the
single-for-the-weekend Harper. Since the novel is based on his college buddies' private
affairs and discloses the betrayal of a friend, Harper tries to regain possession of the
literary hot potato before Lance reads it and discovers the strange bedfellows revealed
within its pages.
A strong urban contemporary vibe permeates Best and the film floats along aided
by a pulsating soundtrack, featuring new music from some of the hottest R&B and Hiphop
artists and a couple of classic soul tunes that will have you grooving in your seat. But
with Best's large ensemble cast and roughly two hours, the film presents only
brief sketches of most of its female characters in the interest of telling a story where
the men unabashedly take center stage and resume their "friendly", yet subtle
competition.
In the course of a weekend, Best follows its men
through rites of passage that precede that final plunge into wedded
bliss - stag party and all. And some will uneasily snicker as they
"eavesdrop" on the guys' conversations about love, sex and
fidelity that are candid, raw and sometimes hateful (especially
Lance's comments about businesswomen). MORE >>>
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Lance, Murch (Harold Perrineau), Quentin (Terrence Howard) and Harper (Taye Diggs) |
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While Diggs, Long and
Chestnut bring star power to the film, Terrence Howard (as Quentin) dominates Best
with his performance as the mischievous playboy who survives on his wits and the
generosity of his pops. Relying on the strength of his significant acting talent, Howard
hits his marks again and again and eclipses the rest of the fine ensemble cast with his
acting brilliance, removing any doubt as to the film's real best man. The essence of
Howard's Quentin blazes across the screen and even when Quentin exits a scene, you're left
pondering a deliberate glance or an eyebrow-raising statement delivered with vigor and
comic effectiveness. As Best's essential comic force, the film is at its best
when it returns to Quentin. Whether you're focussing on his mirth-filled eyes, his
mack-daddy swagger or his sexy come-play-house-with-me smile, Howard is a joy to watch.
Hands down and thumbs up, Howard is a front runner for Best Actor at Y2K's Black Film Awards in Acapulco.
Cont'd>>
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