The Best Man Holiday
Finally, 15 years later, a sequel to The Best Man, a rom-com featuring an all-star cast of then up-and-coming stars Terrence Howard, Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, and Harold Perrineau. The first go-round found the boys and their ladies trying to get a grip on life. This go-round is a reunion, where some have perfect families and others are struggling to keep it together. The director and writer, Malcolm D. Lee, is also the same, but the results are not as good.
Perfect For: Do you like Tyler Perry movies but wish they were a whole lot better? This might work for you. Also: Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut eye candy, FTW.
What the Critics Say: Not as good as the first one, but not that bad, either. Entertainment Weekly writes: “What ensues is like a better-written Tyler Perry movie: too many life crises rooted in too much recycled backstory. The actors are winning, especially Taye Diggs as the now-struggling Harper, Regina Hall as the ex-stripper Candace, and the great Morris Chestnut as football star.” Says the Chicago Tribune: “The hangout factor with this cast is considerable. And the movie, while nothing visually special, earns its queen-sized dose of pathos honestly.”
Our Take: Could be a fun date movie.
Last Vegas
Basically, The Hangover for old people with older mega stars—Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline. The four old friends set out to party like it’s 1959 to celebrate Douglas’s impending nuptials to a girl half his age. In between partying at topless pools, they talk about aches and pains and popping pills (the not-so-fun kind). Hilarity is supposed to ensue.
Perfect For: Senior citizens who wanna live a little, but not too much.
What the Critics Say: Good premise, bad execution. The New York Times pans it hard: “A mild geezer comedy full of jokes that might have sounded tired at a ‘Dean Martin Celebrity Roast,’ the movie has no reason for existence and nothing much to recommend it.” Entertainment Weekly writes: “I steeled myself for the moment when these four would fall into what-happens-in-Vegas ''high jinks,'' but fortunately, they don't.”
Our Take: This would be amusing if it was free and we were drunk on an airplane.
