Highly anticipated, the project was announced in October 2011 and principal photography began in April 2013 in Toronto, Ontario.[4]The Best Man Holiday was released on November 15, 2013 by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, Lee's direction and the dramatic elements, with some criticism aimed at the screenplay. It was a commercial success, grossing $72.8 million worldwide on a production budget of $17 million.
15 years after his blockbuster debut novel, Harper Stewart has writer's block and financial difficulties from being laid off from NYU and fertility treatments for his now-pregnant wife Robyn. Harper's agent suggests he write a biography of his former best friend and New York Giants superstar Lance Sullivan, who is set to retire. Though on speaking terms, Lance keeps Harper at a distance. Harper reluctantly agrees to do it, but in secret.
Meanwhile, Lance's wife Mia has invited Harper, Robyn and the rest of the gang for Christmas: Julian "Murch" Murchison and wife Candace Sparks, her best friend Jordan Armstrong and boyfriend Brian McDonald, Quentin "Q" Spivey, and Shelby Taylor. Shelby is a prominent reality television star on the hit The Real Housewives franchise. Q is a successful brand manager, heavily connected to prominent celebrities. Jordan is a producer at MSNBC, winning several Emmys. Julian runs a renowned school with former stripper Candace as his head of admissions. His main donor abruptly pulls his funding from the school when he learns of Candace's past. Julian finds a YouTube video of her stripping and accepting money for sex at a fraternity party, which he desperately tries to hide from Candace and the rest of the gang.
As the friends catch up, old tensions resurface. Harper awkwardly attempts to mend his friendship with Lance while discreetly gaining research for the biography. Shelby presses Murch to rekindle their relationship in the wake of his and Candace's marriage. Robyn struggles to bond with Jordan, knowing her history with Harper. During a pajama party, the gang has a good time, with the men dancing and lip-syncing to "Can You Stand the Rain", which Mia sees has worked to patch up old wounds between Lance and Harper. Harper later finds Mia downstairs vomiting blood; she admits her terminal cancer diagnosis and asks him to help Lance accept it.
The next morning, Q and Shelby accidentally switch phones and she finds Candace's video. She tries to coerce Julian into resuming their relationship but he refuses. Soon afterwards, Candace confronts Shelby, leading to a physical altercation after which Candace leaves with the kids. Later, she returns and reconciles with Julian. When Brian has to leave to visit his family in Vermont for Christmas, Jordan dismissively states that she doesn't need him.
The ladies are preparing for a spa day when Mia collapses. This forces Harper to tell everyone about Mia's condition and everyone is supportive.
While Harper is wrapping the children's Christmas gifts, Lance approaches him and they reminisce about their college days, seemingly reconciling. The next day, as the gang volunteers at a shelter, Lance finds Harper's iPad and journal in Mia's purse, and a mock book cover for his unauthorized biography on the tablet. Lance angrily confronts Harper, telling him to stay away from him and his family. Mia fails to calm him down. Lance takes her home, leaving Q and Harper behind where Harper finally breaks down and admits the truth of his financial situation. After giving humble words of comfort to Harper, Q vows to take care of his debts as a friendly favor.
Lance is still heated over the biography when Mia challenges him to face reality. Mia accepts responsibility for Lance and Harper's longtime feud due to her fling with Harper ,[lower-alpha 1] which she knew would hurt Lance. Mia takes off her wig, forcing him to also acknowledge the severity of her condition. On Christmas Day, Jordan apologizes to Brian over the phone for her harsh words, unaware that Brian has already arrived to see her. Lance is scheduled to play a game, but he defiantly refuses, believing that caring for Mia is more important. Mia convinces him to play, and his first half is uneventful. When Lance is benched and he angrily lashes out at fans and his team, Mia calls him. This inspires him to play and ultimately win the game, breaking the all-time rushing yards record. The men hurry home to take care of Mia who, shortly after, succumbs to the cancer.
At the memorial service, Harper delivers a heartfelt eulogy. Lance later thanks his friend and affirms his faith in God. Harper lacks the same faith, but is encouraged, saying Lance will always be the better man between them.
Shelby gives Julian $2 million to cover the lost funding with no strings attached. Later, Brian promises to help through his contacts.
After the service, Robyn's water breaks so Lance, Harper, and Candace attempt to rush her to the hospital but get stuck in traffic; Lance delivers Harper's baby in the backseat of the SUV. The healthy baby girl is named Mia.
Ten months later, Harper and Lance are closer than ever and Harper has written Lance's biography, God, Family and Football. When Lance visits Harper and Robyn in New York City, Q calls to announce his anticipated marriage but jokes that Harper had better not have slept with his bride.
In October 2011, it was announced that a sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man was in development.[5] On February 22, 2013, it was announced that the film would be titled The Best Man Holiday.[6]
In March 2013, Terrence Howard revealed details about the film,[7] saying: "I think it's going to be an amazing film and I get teary-eyed thinking about it because there's some tragedy in it. That's all I'll say...[Director and screenwriter] Malcolm Lee showed us what intelligent young black people were capable of in The Best Man I, but The Best Man II, it shows where people go, whether they're doing the right thing or the wrong thing, and how much we need each other within our community."[8]
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The Best Man Holiday debuted with a $10.7 million Friday total, notably beating Thor: The Dark World for the top box office spot of that day.[10]The Best Man Holiday did even better the next day earning $12.4 million on Saturday.[11] It then went on to be the number two film of the weekend, taking in close to $30.6 million.[12] It eventually earned a total of $70.5 million in the United States and $72.8 million worldwide.
Critical response
As of October2021[update], the film holds a 70% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 97 reviews with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Best Man Holiday manages honest laughs out of broad humor, and affects convincing drama from a deeply conventional plot."[13]Metacritic gives the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade.[15]
The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday gave it 2.5 stars, saying the "[s]equel is both a romp and a tearjerker... Like a long-lost soap opera emerging from a Rip Van Winkle–length hiatus, 'The Best Man Holiday' has lost none of its often baggy, saggy melodrama; luckily, when things get too soppy, Howard can be depended on for crude one-liners that land with all the more finesse thanks to his smoky, slightly stoned delivery. ...And 'The Best Man Holiday' has clearly caught up with the times, with one plot point revolving around social media run amok, off-handedly invoking everyone from Barack Obama (natch) to Melissa Harris-Perry, Olivia Pope and Robin Thicke".[16]
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture—Morris Chestnut (nominated)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture—Terrence Howard (nominated)
Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture—Malcolm D. Lee (nominated)
Sequel
In February 2021, Peacock gave a limited series order to a follow-up consisting of ten episodes. The Best Man: The Final Chapters is created by Lee and Dayna Lynne North, who also serve as executive producers. Chestnut, Diggs, Hall, Howard, Lathan, Long, Perrineau and De Sousa are set to reprise their roles.[18] The 8-episode series premiered on December 22, 2022.[19]
Morris Lamont Chestnut is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. He has appeared in feature films such as G.I. Jane, The Brothers, Like Mike, Ladder 49, The Game Plan, The Call, and Kick-Ass 2. He has also played Lance Sullivan in The Best Man, reprising the role in sequel film The Best Man Holiday, and follow-up series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows In the House, Family Matters, NYPD Blue, and Moesha. Lathan later garnered further prominence after starring in the 1998 superhero film Blade, which followed with film roles in The Best Man (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Disappearing Acts (2000), and Brown Sugar (2002).
Harold Perrineau is an American actor. His breakout role was in the independent film Smoke (1995), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He went on to appear as Mercutio in Romeo+Juliet (1996) and Link in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. On television, he started as Augustus Hill in the HBO series Oz (1997–2003), Michael Dawson in the ABC television series Lost (2004–2010), and Sheriff Boyd Stevens in the MGM+ television series From (2022–present).
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Known for his performances on film and television, he has received a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Independent Spirit Awards.
Out of Time is a 2003 American mystery thriller film directed by Carl Franklin and starring Denzel Washington. The two had previously worked together for the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress.
Regina Lee Hall is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Brenda Meeks in the comedy horror Scary Movie film series (2000–2006). She has since appeared in the television series Ally McBeal (2001–2002), Law & Order: LA (2010–2011), Grandfathered (2016), and Black Monday (2019–2021), and in the films The Best Man (1999), its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday, About Last Night (2014), Vacation (2015), Girls Trip (2017), The Hate U Give (2018), and Little (2019). For the comedy film Support the Girls (2018), Hall received critical acclaim, and became the first African American to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
Kimberly Elise Trammel is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in Set It Off (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in Beloved (1998).
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, adapted from Terry McMillan's best-selling 1996 novel of the same title. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, and Regina King. The original music score was composed by Michel Colombier.
Brown Sugar is a 2002 American romantic comedy film written by Michael Elliott and Rick Famuyiwa, directed by Famuyiwa, and starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan. The film is a story of lifelong friends, A&R Andre and Editor-in-Chief Sidney. The two can attribute their friendship and the launch of their careers to a single, seminal childhood moment – the day they discovered hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, as they lay down the tracks toward their futures, hip-hop isn't the only thing that keeps them coming back to that moment on the corner.
The Best Man is a 1999 American comedy drama film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee in his directorial debut. It was produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, with Lee's cousin, Spike Lee, serving as producer. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs and Nia Long, with the debut of Regina Hall.
The Wood is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd.
Monica Calhoun is an American film and television actress. Calhoun is best known for her roles in the films Bagdad Cafe (1987), The Players Club (1998), The Salon (2005), The Best Man (1999), and its sequel The Best Man Holiday (2013). She has also appeared in the films Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and Love & Basketball (2000). Calhoun has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award and one NAACP Image Award.
The 37th NAACP Image Awards ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honored the best in film, television, music of 2005 and took place on February 25, 2006, at the Shrine Auditorium. The show was televised live on Fox, March 3 at 8 p.m. EST and hosted by Cuba Gooding Jr.
Rick Famuyiwa is an American filmmaker and television director.
Melissa De Sousa is an American actress. She made her big screen debut playing the leading role in the 1998 comedy film Ride. She starred as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film The Best Man and later reprised her role in its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday and the 2022 Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
The Perfect Holiday is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Lance Rivera, starring Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Charlie Murphy, and Terrence Howard, and is produced by Academy Award-nominated actress Queen Latifah, who also serves as narrator. The film was released on December 12, 2007. It was also the first film by Destination Films to receive a wide release since Beautiful.
Malcolm X, also known as Malcolm X: His Own Story As It Really Happened, is a 1972 American documentary film directed by Arnold Perl. It is based on the 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
The 45th NAACP Image Awards, presented by the NAACP, honored outstanding representations and achievements of people of color in motion pictures, television, music and literature during the 2013 calendar year. The awards were presented in two separate ceremonies. The first ceremony honoring non-televised categories took place on February 21, 2014, hosted by Rickey Smiley and Kimberly Elise. The second was broadcast live on TV One on February 22, hosted by Anthony Anderson. All nominees are listed below with the winners listed in bold.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters is an American comedy-drama television miniseries created by Malcolm D. Lee and developed by Lee and Dayna Lynne North. The series takes place a few years after The Best Man Holiday and it premiered on Peacock on December 22, 2022.
The 27th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on March 13, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California and the Savoy Hotel in London, honoring the finest achievements of filmmaking and television programming in 2021. The ceremony was simulcast on The CW and TBS, and hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer; this was Diggs' fourth consecutive time as host. The television nominations were announced on December 6, 2021. The film nominations were announced on December 13, 2021.
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