Movie Review: Jumping The Broom

I really wanted to support Bishop T.D. Jakes' film Jumping The Broom this past weekend in the box office.  I was concerned when I learned that it was competing with Fast & Furious 5 and Thor, two epic movies with huge box office potential.  I often hear black folks complain that there are no quality black films being produced anymore and all the movies seem to portray a gun-toting black man/comedian dressed up as a black woman, (think Madea, Big Momma's House, etc.).  I was curious to see if these people who constantly complain would actually go out and support a positive all black film with black producers, a black director and a pretty much all black cast.

I heard so many great things about the movie before I actually saw it.  I heard the movie would make you laugh and cry and even self reflect all within the matter of a couple hours.  The movie was directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey Edmonds (Babyface's ex-wife) and T.D. Jakes and the cast consisted of Paula Patton (Idelwild), Laz Alonso, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Meagan Good (The Game), Tasha Smith and DeRay Davis, Pooch Hall (The Game) and Mike Epps.

The title of the film is derived from the African American tradition of the bride and groom jumping over a ceremonial broom after being pronounced married.  The movie portrayed the trials and tribulations of bringing together two families from opposite sides of the tracks and how two lovers can get lost in the rigamarole of planning and carrying out a wedding.  The veteran cast displayed its talents and brought the script to life, while Mike Epps literally had me falling out of my seat.  He definitely stole the show from the rest of the cast.  Paula Patton looked goregous as usual and Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine both portrayed their strong black woman roles as the bride and groom's mothers.

I enjoyed the movie from start to finish and like I was told I would, I laughed, cried and even did some self reflecting.  When I saw T.D. Jakes was a part of the production I automatically thought it would be a "holy roller" movie that hit you over the head with weak religious undertones but I was pleasantly surprised to see a plot with "meat" and a cast that was willing to really dig deep to drive the message home to the viewers.  I highly recommend this movie to folks who liked The Best Man or just enjoy romantic comedies.  If you plan on getting married soon or not at all, this movie is still for you.

Jumping The Broom projected a reasonable $16 million box office ticket as it was a highly competitive weekend.  GO SEE IT!  If you have already seen it, did you enjoy it? Who was your favorite cast member?  Remember, just dont' spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. *wink*