dir-scr Malcolm D Lee
with Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau,
Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, Melissa DeSousa,
Victoria Dillard, Regina Hall, Jim Moody, Jarrod Bunch
Universal 99/US
Review by Rich Cline
Harper (Diggs) is a first-time novelist heading home to New York to be best man for his college friend Lance (Chestnut), a pro football player. Harper's girlfriend (Lathan) is a bit apprehensive about this weekend, as Harper's novel is about his college days, outlining people and relationships ... and spilling a few secrets, including Harper's secret love for a close friend (Long) and a brief affair that will have serious repercussions on the wedding day. And as it all comes out, we have marriage plans, a bachelor party, and so on, to get through.
Both the screenplay and the actors take these essentially stereotypical characters and bring them nicely to life with interesting little touches that make them all likeable. Diggs anchors the film superbly, and Perrineau is especially good as the hen-pecked Murch. This is an enjoyable, entertaining film that makes its point about love and commitment gently (well, until the obvious moralising of the slushy finale) and effortlessly holds the comedy and drama in balance from start to finish. And it's nice to see an African-American film that isn't obsessed with making some sort of political statement--it just tells a good story.
[15--adult themes and situations, language] 18.May.00
US release 22.Oct.99; UK release 30.Jun.00
