The Evolution Of The Best Man Movie Franchise

There are two movies in The Best Man film franchise: The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man Holiday (2013). The original film follows a group of old friends as they navigate the days before Lance Sullivan and Mia Morgan's wedding. The sequel is set 14 years later, as the friends reunite and discover how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.

The Best Man (1999)

There are two movies in the 'Best Man' film series, 'The Best Man' and 'The Best Man Holiday', as well as a limited series, 'The Best Man: The Final Chapters'.

'The Best Man' was released in 1999 and is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee in his directorial debut. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs, who plays Harper Stewart, an up-and-coming author in Chicago whose debut novel, 'Unfinished Business', has been selected by Oprah's Book Club. Harper is a committed bachelor and travels to New York City to spend the weekend with old college friends before they all attend the wedding of his friend Lance Sullivan, played by Morris Chestnut. Serving as the best man, Harper reunites with his friends Julian "Murch" Murchison and Jordan Armstrong, played by Harold Perrineau and Nia Long, respectively. Jordan, Harper's ex-flame, obtains an advance copy of 'Unfinished Business', which is based on the lives and loves of his group of friends. Harper attempts to keep this under wraps, but the secret is revealed, causing drama and conflict within the group.

The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Terrence Howard's performance as Quentin Spivey, which was considered his breakout role. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 72% positive rating, with critics calling it an "intelligent, funny romantic comedy" that features a "strong cast and a host of well-defined characters". The film also performed well at the box office, grossing over $34 million on a $9 million budget.

'The Best Man' is followed by a Christmas-themed sequel, 'The Best Man Holiday', released in 2013, and the limited series 'The Best Man: The Final Chapters', which premiered in 2022.

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

There are currently three movies in the "The Best Man" franchise: "The Best Man" (1999), "The Best Man Holiday" (2013), and "The Best Man: The Final Chapters" (2022).

"The Best Man Holiday", released on November 15, 2013, is a highly anticipated sequel to the 1999 film "The Best Man". The movie was written, co-produced, and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, and stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, and others, all reprising their roles from the previous film.

The plot of "The Best Man Holiday" centres around a group of college friends who reunite after 15 years, during the Christmas holidays. The friends discover that old rivalries and romances can be easily reignited. Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), the protagonist from the first film, is now facing writer's block and financial difficulties. His agent suggests he write an unauthorised biography of his former best friend, Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), a New York Giants superstar who is set to retire. Lance's wife, Mia (Monica Calhoun), has invited Harper, his wife Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), and their friends for Christmas. As the group catches up, old tensions resurface, and Harper tries to mend his friendship with Lance while secretly gathering research for the biography. The gang has a good time, and Harper eventually breaks down and admits his financial troubles to Quentin "Q" Spivey (Terrence Howard), who vows to help him.

The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, direction, and dramatic elements. It was also a commercial success, grossing $72.8 million worldwide on a production budget of $17 million. The film received multiple accolades and nominations, including four nominations at the 45th NAACP Image Awards.

"The Best Man Holiday" delivers honest laughs, convincing drama, and genuine emotion, satisfying fans of the first film and providing an enjoyable holiday movie experience.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)

The Best Man film franchise began in 1999 with the release of The Best Man, a romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The story follows a group of old friends in the lead-up to Lance Sullivan's wedding to Mia Morgan. A sequel, The Best Man Holiday, was released in 2013, reuniting the college friends after 15 years.

The franchise continued with The Best Man: The Final Chapters, an eight-episode miniseries that premiered on Peacock on December 22, 2022. The story is set a few years after the events of The Best Man Holiday and sees the characters facing new challenges in their midlife. Harper, who gets the opportunity to turn his book "Unfinished Business" into a movie, is once again the best man as his friends reunite for Quentin's wedding. The series explores the evolution of relationships and the resurfacing of past grievances amid midlife crises and renaissances.

In addition to Harper and Quentin, the gang is back together, including Jordan, Lance, Murch, Robyn, Candace, and Shelby. They each react differently to Harper's movie deal, with Jordan questioning her work-life balance and Lance finding inspiration at Quentin's wedding. The series also delves into the dynamics of their relationships, such as Candace and Murch reframing their relationship as she pursues higher education, and Robyn searching for peace and her true place in the world.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters received positive reviews from fans of the franchise, with many praising the return of the beloved characters and the exploration of their lives beyond the facade of celebrations and holidays. The series has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The Best Man Wedding (planned for 2016)

The Best Man film series is an American romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The original film, The Best Man, was released in 1999 and follows a group of old friends in the days leading up to Lance Sullivan's wedding to Mia Morgan. A sequel, The Best Man Holiday, was released in 2013 and takes place 15 years after the events of the first film, as the friends reunite over the Christmas holidays. Both films were box office hits, grossing a combined total of $106,198,975.

In 2014, a third film in the series, titled The Best Man Wedding, was announced with a planned release date of 2016. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts with director Malcolm D. Lee, the film never made it to the production stage. It seems unlikely that the movie will ever be made, especially since a limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, was released in 2022, wrapping up the story of the group of friends.

The planned plot for The Best Man Wedding is not known, but it likely would have continued the story of the friends from the previous films and further explored their relationships and dynamics. The wedding in the title may have been a central plot point, providing an opportunity for the characters to come together and for new conflicts and romances to emerge.

The cast of the previous films, including Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau, were expected to reprise their roles for The Best Man Wedding. The only missing cast member would have been Monica Calhoun, whose character died in The Best Man Holiday.

The Best Man film franchise

The first film, The Best Man, was released in 1999. In the film, Harper (Taye Diggs), who is set to be the best man at his friend Lance's wedding, has written a soon-to-be bestselling novel loosely based on the lives of his friends. When an advance copy of the book makes its way into the hands of his ex-girlfriend, Jordan (Nia Long), Harper tries to keep it under wraps.

The sequel, The Best Man Holiday, was released in 2013. In this instalment, the college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, and long-forgotten rivalries and romances are reignited.

A third film, The Best Man Wedding, was planned for release in 2016 but never made it to production due to conflicts with Lee's schedule. However, in 2024, a 10-episode limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, was released on Peacock. The series follows the characters from the films more than two decades after the first movie and wraps up the group of friends' story.

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