The Best Man 1/2 Stars (Out of 4) Reviewed by Mac VerStandig critic@moviereviews.org http://www.moviereviews.org All Hallows Eve, 1999
The Best Man is a film about a gathering of old friends. Ironically, the movie is little more than a series of old stereotypes and plagiarized plot moments. Above all else, this production is a painful experience that can only solicit ideas of ways your $7.50 could be better spent (throwing it in the lion's cage, flushing it down the toilet, using it to light a fire, etc85).
The Best Man is a story of friends who re-unite one long weekend for a wedding. Harper (Taye Diggs) hasn't seen any of his pals in a while and looks forward to a pleasant and enjoyable time. What he doesn't know is that the whole gang has obtained advance copies of his new "novel," which is frighteningly close to the story of their lives. As the reunion progresses, the secrets spill out. The only question is how much damage will be done.
One of the ever-so-rare qualities of The Best Man is its soundtrack. Songs by Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell oftentimes dominate the moment. Unfortunately even this quality proves ominous. Great soundtrack music has become nearly synonymous with The Big Chill. Once that realization is met the other "similarities" pour on. The idea of a revealing weekend bash revolving around a key stage in a friend's life (The Big Chill was actually an ending stage, being centered around a funeral) that ultimately gives some old pals a perspective on where they are is about as original as the supposedly fictional characters in Harper's book.
The similarities do not stop with one 1983 film. Before the two hours, that seem more like an eternity, end, the audience is treated to scenes originally from or similar to several films, including American Beauty, Very Bad Things, Your Friends & Neighbors, Love Stinks, A Few Good Men and Orgazmo.
Some of the stereotypes exhibited cannot be pinned to just one or two films, but rather are so common that they feel like a dE9j=E0 vu that = you cannot exactly place. The great old line "You love me, don't you?," a virgin that perhaps isn't, a man being held over the edge of a building, a relationship conflict in an airport and the overuse of semi-slow motion at a wedding are highlights of such dE9j=E0 vu.
Even when the stereotypes and plagiarized moments are ignored, The Best Man still has more than its due of problems. The film spends a lot of time talking about sex and who exactly is or was participating in the act. Yet the movie never actually has any intercourse and consequently looks like the school bully who talks a great talk but can't even limp the walk.
The supporting roles are blurred at the beginning of the film and gradually become clearer. Although this evolution may sound interesting, it creates a problem for the film: You don't know who is who. This transformation finally reaches a payoff point about 90 minutes into the film. Unfortunately the production suffers from excess sappiness from that moment forward. Too many emotions and slow motion shots get bunched together and the already too long film reaches near infinite length. This sappiness is highlighted by a scene involving two characters' relationship and a bible. It comes as mighty symbolic that the movie misquotes the bible. (Exodus 24:10 has absolutely nothing to do with adultery as the film claims.)
The Best Man is a film about forgiveness. That doesn't mean that it is a film that can be forgiven.
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