SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t watched The Best Man Holiday movie yet then I suggest you stop reading now because I am going to spoil it for you.
Now that the movie is finally in South African cinemas, I can breathe. In January 2013 (can’t believe it’s more than a year ago) I expressed my excitement about this movie on this post »» http://www.justcurious.co.za/
I just love how they made the characters grow with the story. We have also grown with it. I expected drama but what I got was more than that. I salute Malcolm D Lee for another job well done. There is so much that I learned about; Faith, Forgiveness, Pride, unconditional Love, Friendship, Parenthood, Denial, Secrets and lots more. There are too many emotional moments as well or maybe I’m just an emotional person. I cried and I still cry when I watch it. With Lance (Morris Chestnut) being a God fearing man, very successful football player, loving, faithful husband to his wife Mia (Monica Calhoun) and a strong family man you’d expect that all will be well because he is living life the right way but noooooooo something had to mess up that perfect picture. His wife is diagnosed with cancer and it does win at the end leaving Lance a single parent to 4 kids.
They had kept this illness a secret from their friends and from what I gathered Mia wanted to tell all of them during that reunion and that is why she invited all of them to their home for Christmas Holidays. For some strange reason I could see from the get go that something was up with Mia but Cancer never crossed my mind. I honestly thought Lance was physically abusing her and that is why she was looking so pale and fragile. The day the secret came out is when the movie took a total 360 degrees turn. Everything just became heavy for me. From the moment Harper (Taye Diggs) finds Mia crying and coughing out blood in the middle of night then all became difficult to watch with a straight face. They knew how many days she had left to live. Imagine counting down the days to your last breath? I thought Mia was going to die soon after singing that Christmas carol with the kids. It’s like she was already in heaven there. I’ve always loved that song and I prefer Tracy Chapman’s version. After watching that part I never listened to that song the same way again. When I play it I just see Mia.
Anyway, Mia dies on Christmas day but the ‘good’ thing is that she died in her husband’s arms. He wanted to be there for her till the very end. He had his final match on that day which he had already planned to cancel so he can be with his wife for the last moments but Mia encouraged him to go play and she promised that she will still be there when he gets back. For real she managed to hold on till her husband got back home. I was really touched when Mia told Lance that what was happening to them is God’s will.
Though she had cried before saying it’s unfair that she is going to die and leave her kids. What I also realized is how much Lance was in denial about Mia’s illness. He still believed they were going to beat the cancer even though Mia had accepted defeat and tried to convince him to accept it too. It was not easy for him at all. Even at the funeral it was so difficult for him to watch that coffin going down. He kept on saying ‘She can’t go’. Damn Morris deserves an Oscar guys. He played this role like no other. Ok I know I’m asking for the impossible with this Oscar but ke BET Awards must give him something.
Harper (Taye Diggs) and Robyn (Sanaa Lathan) also face their demons. Financial problems to miscarriages to fights with each other. At the end there is light for them and Lance happens to be the one to put an end to their troubles. As much as Lance’s faith is strong he was weak when it comes to forgiveness. 15years later he was still angry at Harper for having slept with Mia. Grand grand he was holding a grudge.
Too many challenges as well for Robyn. I don’t know how I’d deal with the fact of having to name my first child after a woman that has passed on who happens to have slept with my husband. And that very same woman’s husband is the one that helped me successfully deliver my 1st child after countless miscarriages in the past. Akunzima!! And when Harper thanks Lance for delivering his baby, Lance just looks and points up to the sky meaning ‘I didn’t do it. God did it’. I looked at it like he was giving Harper a message ‘It’s about time you acknowledged the man upstairs Harper’ WOW!!
As always Shelby (Melissa De Sousa) is still fighting with everyone. And she has a book out too. Lol!! Candy (Regina Hall) as expected happens to not get along with Shelby at all even worse now that she is married to Shelby’s ex Julian (Harold Perrineau). I love Regina hey, I just love her. I think she is one of the most underrated Actresses in Hollywood. On the other hand, Julian lost a major sponsor after they discovered that his wife Candy used to be stripper. The Internet stores everything shem. Years later, Candy’s past not only came back to bite her, it also affected her husband. But out of all this, trust Quentin (Terrence Howard) to make fun of it. He continues to be the entertainer of the show. I laughed at how he went to smoke ganja with Mia soon as he found out about her cancer. That’s Quentin for you, living for the now and to the fullest.
The forever stubborn Jordan (Nia Long) finally has a man Brian played by heartthrob Eddie Cibrian. This character is a lesson to all those Miss Independents who tell themselves that they don’t need a man in their lives. We know Jordan to be stubborn and hot headed, and then she done went and brought a white man to the circle. Lol
Another interesting thing is that all of the black men in this movie happen to be or have been married to white women in real life except for Morris Chestnut. I’m talking about Taye Diggs, Harold Perrineau and of course Terrence Howard. Terrence is a special case though, I have lost count of his divorces. He is the JLO of the guys. He meets someone and immediately marries them and divorces quickly as well. Maybe he needs to try other races yazi? Lol
I am already sitting at the edge of my seat, impatiently waiting for them to announce the 3rd one. Yes there will be a third one. There has to be. They left us hanging too much. We see at the end Quentin says he is getting married, my guess is he will marry Shelby. I can’t wait to see their house. LMAO!! Before Mia died she told her best friend Jordan (her children’s God mother) that Lance can re marry but he must not marry this one particular girl from their school. Lol, women mara! Anyway I doubt Lance will remarry, he loved Mia too much. So I have a feeling that no other woman will ever measure up. Keep in mind Mia was a virgin when she met Lance. So I think if he does happen to remarry I see him marrying Jordan. I don’t know why but somehow I can’t rub that thought off my mind. It will be so awkward though considering he once said Jordan doesn’t need a man because she is one step from being lesbian.
So as my mind races, will Lance still be as religious as he has always been or will he lose it this time and become tjatjarag because God didn’t spare his wife’s life? How will he cope as a single parent? He has retired so which means he will have too much time on his hands. Whatever they do they must not introduce his character to drugs. That will spoil everything. If they are giving him a challenge they must give him the one that has not been done to death.
How much will Harper make from being the Author of Lance’s Biography? That’s another big question. Will him and Robyn have more kids?
Mia used to be the ‘mother figure’ in the group so I am just wondering if their friendship will survive or things will fall apart or maybe they will obviously keep it together in her memory.
Once again a big shout out to Malcolm for The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday. We thank you!!!
By Kiki Marli