By: Serina Gousby

As  we draw near into December, it is the time to get excited for new holiday movies to get us back into the Christmas cheer and family gatherings. The Best Man Holiday, directed, written, and co-produced by Malcolm D. Lee, was released in all theaters on Friday, Nov. 15, and it has been the one of the most anticipated sequels of the year.

Just this weekend, the rated R sequel is now the No. 2  movie in the U.S. with a total of $30.6 million, just behind Thor: The Dark World for the top opening debut. With having such great reception to the original movie that was released 14 years ago in 1999, The Best Man, the entire cast reunites with the dramatic comedy that has brought forth many laughs and sparked a few tears.

If you have not seen The Best Man, there is no need to panic as its sequel reminds you in the beginning of the film what each character has been up to since the last scene of the 1999 movie. The first film follows around the character, Harper Stewart, (Taye Diggs), who is a successful Chicago author and wrote a sexy and revealing novel about a love affair, which turned out to be more than real when he finds out that his best friend and football player Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut) is marrying his former love interest described in the book, Mia (Monica Calhoun).

Alongside his long-time girlfriend, Robin (Sanaa Lathan), they travel to New York for the upcoming wedding as Harper is prepared to keep the secret to himself. Without giving too much away, the movie was filled with many twists and turns, aside from the other returning characters; featuring actors Terrance Howard, Nia Long, Regina Hall, Mellissa De Sousa, and Harold Perrineau. To get the full experience, be sure to watch the first movie, available in stores and online.

The Best Man Holiday is guaranteed to surprise you and make you love the characters even more. Harper and Lance’s relationship since the last movie has not been the greatest, but throughout you’ll see a possible reconciliation or another scandal that will strain their friendship once again. Mia, Lance’s wife, has brought the entire cast together at their beautiful large home for the Christmas season after the 14 years past, and many secrets and shocking revelations come in to play.

Monica Calhoun’s performance in the sequel was fantastic, playing as the peaceful and pleasant character that made the all the friends remember that family is more important than anything, and pettiness, drama, and tension need to be left at the door while everyone is still around to enjoy each other’s company.

In addition, Terrance Howard’s character, Quintin, was seen as the humor support throughout the movie, making the audience laugh with his reckless and sexual behavior, following after moments of joy and sadness.

Although many more laughs came from the tension between the gold digging and lustful characters, Shelby (Mellissa De Sousa) and her ex-boyfriend Julian (Harold Perrineau), who happened to marry the main stripper from Lance’s bachelor party, Candace/Candy (Regina Hall), expect many loads of problems and issues that has been weighing on each character for a long time.

From the men of the house performing to New Edition’s song “Can You Stand the Rain” in front of the ladies, to Robin and Jordan (Nia Long) struggling to be in the same room with each other, this movie does a great job balancing laughter and seriousness.

Also much of the movie tied in with Christianity within African-American families through the holiday season by singing spiritual hymns, giving back to the community, and spreading messages about the power of friendship and having faith no matter what you are going through. The director, writer, and co-producer of both movies, Malcolm D. Lee, did an extravagant job in expanding more of each character’s personality, and creating one of the best sequels that fully represented the success and storyline of the original.