THE BEST MAN *** (out of four stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau Jr. and Terrence Dashon Howard Director-Malcolm D. Lee Canadian Rating-14A Released by Universal Pictures - 10/99
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton http://Welcome.to/MovieViews
Crafting a slick, enjoyable bachelor comedy while eluding all of the genre pratfalls is not an easy task, but Malcolm D. Lee has done it with =93The Best Man=94. The film does get submerged in some formula quicksand=
now and again, particularly en route toward the over-dramatic conclusion, but Lee handles the elements skillfully. Coupled with a young, talented African American cast, this makes =93The Best Man=94 a brisk, highly entertaining comedy that only stutters when it tries too hard for audience approval.
Taye Diggs is one of the most exciting young actors in Hollywood today. After his feature debut in 1998=92s =93How Stella Got Her Groove Back=94,=
Diggs rose to electrifying new heights with the psychadelic =93Go=94 last=
year, and -- not including his tedious caricature in the scattershot =93House on Haunted Hill=94 -- the actor revitalizes familiar material to=
make it seem fresh and exhilarating. Similar praise can be offered for his performance in =93The Best Man=94. Diggs plays a Chicago-based author=
named Harper, who, after one last erotic rendezvous with longtime girlfriend Robin (Sanaa Lathan), is headed off to New York to join his chums for a few games of friendly polker (and etc.) during a wedding day countdown. Harper=92s latest novel, a romance about commitment and deception, contains a few elements of real life. For that reason, he is less than ecstatic about the notion of his buddies discovering the total contents of the book - and is downright adamant in forbidding a few friends even to even touch it. There=92s some horrible secret stewing within the pages, and Harper is regretting ever publishing it.
The bachelor posse of =93The Best Man=94 is a group of fun guys. The groo= m is Lance (Morris Chestnut), a hulking but sensitive professional football player who wants his bride to have a one-man policy, even if he hasn=92t practiced a one-woman approach over the years. Murch (Harold Perrineau Jr.) is more of the quiet type; a shy teacher who is hesitant when it comes to expressing his true feelings. Finally, there=92s Q -- or=
Quentin (Terence Dashon Howard) -- a talented musician who has an overbearing tendency to be a real prick. The screenplay, by Lee, makes even the most simplistic conversation involving and intuitive. Some of the best moments of =93The Best Man=94 occur when the boys just sit aroun= d and play poker, where their constant chatter is filled with bright, fluid dialogue that keeps both eyes attentively fixed on the screen. This makes character development light and easy, which is instantly refreshing. =93The Best Man=94 is, essentially, a buoyant and featherweig= ht comedy until it dives into more dramatically preachy material as the clock winds down. But even when it gets marred by comedic sobriety, the film is still enjoyable.
The romantic portion of the plot is fairly elementary, but later on, the process opens up to honesty and truthful surprise. Harper=92s love life i= s complicated by the resurfacing of old college flame Jordan (Nia Long), who threatens to stir up trouble before Robin is scheduled to arrive later on for the wedding. Director Lee, as Spike=92s cousin, has a knack for writing perceptive dialogue exchanges, and =93The Best Man=94 is chock-full of those. The characters, both caring and snobby, are perfectly cast and laid-out in a manner so we can appreciate them from a distance. This could have been a flaky, straightforward takeoff of =93The=
Big Chill=94, but thanks to proper care.... it=92s fun.
Fun because of the acting abilities of the all-black cast. Playing a character more complex than at first glance, Chestnut is wholly believable in juggling his two personality conditions: mean and delicate. The most extensive showcase is provided for Diggs and Long, who both oscillate with charming appeal and provide plenty of truthful and funny moments. While it takes a dramatic detour during segments when more comic filler would have been adequate, =93The Best Man=94 is still a=
swift, breezy tale of romance and personal discovery.
=A9 2000, Jamey Hughton
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton http://Welcome.to/MovieViews Full Member - Online Film Critics Society http://www.ofcs.org
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