The Best Man Holiday is the sequel to writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee’s 1999 film The Best Man. Reprising their roles are Nia Long (“Jordan”), Taye Diggs (“Harper”), Morris Chestnut (“Lance”), Terrence Howard (“Quentin”), Regina Hall (“Candace”), Sanaa Lathan (“Robyn”), Harold Perrineau (“Julian”), Melissa De Sousa (“Shelby”), and Monica Calhoun (“Mia”).

The Best Man Holiday starts out with a montage to catch viewers up with what has happened to these characters over the past 14 years. Harper is a best selling author and his wife Robyn a professional chef; Jordan is a top network executive; Candace and Julian are married with children and have opened a charter school; Shelby is one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Westchester; Quentin is a brand manager; and Lance is a professional football player.

Lance’s wife Mia has organized a Christmas weekend reunion for the college friends. While they all pretend that everything is going great in their lives, each seems to be hiding some secret—including Mia. Harper’s latest novel is a dud and he hasn’t told his wife—he hopes to use the weekend to convince Lance to let him write his biography; Julian is afraid to tell his wife that her past as a stripper has cost them funding for the school; Jordan is hiding her white boyfriend; and Mia has her own secret reason for bringing the friends together. During the reunion, there is laughter as friendships are rekindled, sparks as old rivalries and wounds are reopened, and tears as the group faces the harsh realities of life.

I had never seen The Best Man, so when I was sent this sequel for review, I didn’t know what to expect. However, I found that this film seemed to depend a lot on your knowledge of the history between these characters. The film is not so much plot driven but rather a further exploration of these characters and their relationships. While the opening montage may have been a good refresher for those who had already seen The Best Man, it was not enough to give me the relationship background needed to fully appreciate this sequel.

That said, the cast performances are excellent—the actors deliver on both the drama and the humor. The characters felt fully-developed, and I’m sure fans of the original film will really enjoy seeing what’s become of them. The fact that Malcolm D. Lee was able to get this large, accomplished cast back together 14 years later to do a sequel says a lot about his script and the love for these characters!

This Blu-ray release has a top-notch audio and video presentation, and is loaded is bonus material. There are over 25 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, an alternate ending, a gag reel, a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and an informative full-length audio commentary from writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:03:12)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service) 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

DVD:

• Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DD 5.1, English DVS 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital Copy:

• Digital Copy (iTunes or Windows Media)
• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy (Redeemable via Universal, Flixster or Vudu)

Extras (Blu-ray only, except those noted with *):

• Alternate Ending (1:39)
  The original ending of the film, which includes a flashback and flashforward sequence. Can be played with or without commentary by writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (25:12)
  A collection of 19 deleted/extended scenes that can be played with or without commentary by writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee. Play All or select from “Good Luck With Stan”, “The Boys Are Too Busy To take Harper’s Call”, “Shelby Arrives”, “Harper Approves of Brian”, “The Girls Had a Great Evening”, “Mia is Stressed”, “Harper and Jordan Return From Running”, “Shelby Gets On Candice’s Nerves”, “Th Presents Have Arrived”, “More Sugar”, “Lance Returns From Practice”, “Harper and Jordan Are Just Friends”, “Take It To The Room”, “Harper is a Steel Trap”, “Candace Leaves”, “Shelby Gives an Unexpected Christmas Present”, “Jordan Offers To Help Robyn”, “Lance And Harper Talk It Out”, and “Lance Asks Harper To Do The Eulogy”.
• Gag Reel* (4:53)
  Includes lots of dancing cast members, flubbed lines, prop failures and general cracking up and fun on set.
• Holiday Reunion: The Making of The Best Man Holiday* (12:14)
  The cast and crew talk about getting back together, and how their characters have changed in the 14 years since the first film. Includes interviews with writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee, and stars Nia Long (“Jordan”), Taye Diggs (“Harper”), Morris Chestnut (“Lance”), Terrence Howard (“Quentin”), Regina Hall (“Candace”), Sanaa Lathan (“Robyn”), Harold Perrineau (“Julian”), Melissa De Sousa (“Shelby”), Monica Calhoun (“Mia”), and Eddie Cibrian (“Brian”).
• Smack Talk: Filming The Girl Fight Scene (4:09)
  A discussion about the relationship/history between Shelby and Candace and a look at the filming of the fight that ultimately erupts between the two. Includes interviews with writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee, and stars Melissa De Sousa (“Shelby”), Regina Hall (“Candace”) and Harold Perrineau (“Julian”).
• Feature Commentary With Writer/Director/Producer Malcolm D. Lee* (2:03:12)
  Writer/Director/Producer Malcolm D. Lee provides an entertaining and interesting commentary throughout the film.

Final Thoughts:

Not having seen The Best Man, I didn’t know the background of these characters or their relationships, so I found it difficult to fully-appreciate this sequel. However, the performances by the accomplished ensemble are great. The Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, and contains a wealth of extras that are sure to please fans of the original film.