Ever watch a movie, and you are left thinking about the characters and what happened afterward? What's their day-to-day, and how do they develop? Well, this is it,
Best Man, The Final Chapters is a beautiful creation that brings imagination to life. The critical aspect here is the Black characters we know and love triumphantly reprise their roles with more depth after 23 years.
So if you aren't familiar with the Best Man franchise, it follows a group of 7-8 friends with unique personalities that intertwine well, which leads to a lot of drama. Harper (Taye Digga), an author and "Best Man" to Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), a Football star, displays shady characteristics as he writes a book on the life of him and his friends without their knowledge. The untold secrets are revealed, causing a breach of trust among friends. Some are forgiven for completing the marriage between Lance Sullivan and Mia (Monica Calhoun).
Fast forward 14 years, and a sequel follow the same characters during Christmas. Harper is seeking his next big book while life-altering situations occur. The group comes together in healing and love.
And now we are here
The final chapters start with movie-quality episodes within the first two. Excited to see what our characters have been up two for the last decade; it brings a breath of fresh air.
Quickly the transition to a more standard series model as we spend intimate time with each couple and individual character.
As a viewer, I have seen growth and real-life issues that I don't see often displayed on Black tv as loose but legitimately effective. More specifically, the relationship drama felt real.
Such as mid-life crises, relationship / marital issues, discrimination, children, anxiety, health issues, finding oneself, sexuality, and identity.
The emotions are felt and conveyed relatively well with these heavy topics. What do you expect? Look at the cast!
Now it's not all sunshine. Just like many relationships,
There are a few holes in this series, a bunch of characters introduced to us and taken out without explanation. The series teased for a build-up of what I'd expect something to happen to forget about it. That makes it seem like they recorded the episode over a long time and just pieced it all together, leaving it to feel sloppy and awkward, going away from the purpose of the series and providing answers.
Ultimately, The Best Man Holiday has spark moments, especially for those familiar with the franchise. But it does lack the little things, with some good character development and real-life issues displayed, especially for Black tv; this is a binge-worthy paradise!
Grade: B
Character development: B+ (the same characters with the same actions but see how they change within different stages of their lives)
Plot: C+; it has some sparks, great themes, just some plot holes)
Rating: 4/5 stars.
