I have a vested interest in The Best Man, and not just because it's another much-needed movie where black people aren't depicted as gangstas, prisoners, drug dealers or prostitutes. It's because of the movie's premise, within which a budding author (played by Taye Diggs) must deal with the aftermath of his friends reading a book that contains personal, autobiographical elements and bares thinly fictionalized secrets.
This is a topic close to my mind as I gear up to continue work on my first book, Senioritis, which as of yet is so true to life that I haven't even changed the character names. I can only imagine the sh@t storm that awaits me if I'm lucky enough to be published, and I've often wondered if I'd do a follow-up book that thinly disguised the reactions from the people in my life upon reading about themselves (thinly disguised, of course) in my first book.
It's the same vicious comment-on-comment cycle that spawned Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry in 1997, and it's played for light laughs and soap-opera drama in The Best Man. I don't know if writer/director Malcolm D. Lee (cousin of Spike) has any experience in the matter. I couldn't turn up any books in his name during a quick Internet search. But he brings a familiarity to the Diggs' character's surprise suffering.
The book in question hasn't been released (none too subtly, it's been titled Unfinished Business), but a preview copy has quietly been circulating among Diggs' friends as he prepares to reunite with them for the wedding of a childhood friend (Morris Chestnut), who since has gone on to a pro football career, and his soon-to-be bride (Monica Calhoun). And within the circle of friends, we have nearly every personality type represented.
There's the past love interest (Nia Long), who never went all the way with Diggs and can't deny the lingering presence of some sort of tiny spark. There's the sensitive, cause-oriented friend (Harold Perrineau Jr.), who is utterly and completely whipped by his girlfriend. And there's the "don't love ho's" archetype (Terrence Dashon Howard), who stands back and slowly watches and helps the drama unfold, a knowing grin on his face the entire time.
These characters seem rather one-note at first, and so does the movie. The word "transparent" went through my head at least a half-dozen times before the first 45 minutes were up. But somehow, The Best Man creeps up on you with its calculated human drama and surprising thoughtfulness. Yeah, we get the requisite bachelor party sequence and pained debates about monogamy, but there's a lot more to this dialogue-driven film than you'd expect from the happy box cover.
In the end, the topic of my vested interest -- the book, and the friends' reactions to being depicted in it -- is just another dramatic device to cause conflict, push the story along and resolve it happily. But for every disappointment I experienced in The Best Man, there was something else I liked about it. It's a mixed bag, but it's worth watching for writers and non-writers alike.
Taye Diggs plays Harper a writer who's about to explode into the mainstream. Leaving behind his girlfriend Robin Sanaa Lathan he heads to New York Cit...More at Family Video
The story provides a revealing look at the more intimate side of life for a group of successful friends who are reunited when one of their college bud...More at HotMovieSale.com
Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) is a commitment-shy writer and the best man at the wedding of Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun). Unfortunat...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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