Starz And Best Man Holiday: Where To Watch?

The Best Man Holiday is an American comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It is the sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man and was released in 2013. The movie follows a group of college friends who reunite after 15 years during the Christmas holidays and discover how easily their old rivalries and romances resurface. It stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, and Terrence Howard, among others. While I cannot confirm if the movie is available on Starz, the platform offers a range of movies and exclusive series, including Power Book II: Ghost, The Spanish Princess, and The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast.

Plot of The Best Man Holiday

The Best Man Holiday is an American comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It is a sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man and sees the return of the original cast, including Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, and Terrence Howard. The film follows a group of college friends who reunite after 15 years for Christmas and discover that old rivalries and romances quickly resurface.

The plot centres around Harper Stewart (Diggs), a writer who is struggling with writer's block, financial difficulties, and pressure from his publisher. Harper's agent suggests he write a biography of his former best friend and football star Lance Sullivan (Chestnut), who is set to retire. Harper agrees but keeps the project a secret. Meanwhile, Lance's wife Mia (Monica Calhoun) has invited the old gang for Christmas: Julian "Murch" Murchison (Harold Perrineau) and his wife Candace Sparks (Hall), her best friend Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long) and her boyfriend Brian McDonald (Eddie Cibrian), Quentin "Q" Spivey (Howard), and Shelby Taylor (Melissa De Sousa).

As the friends catch up, old tensions resurface, particularly between Shelby and Candace. It is revealed that Harper had a one-night stand with Mia before she married Lance, which has caused a longstanding feud between the two men. Meanwhile, Julian runs a school with Candace, a former stripper, as his head of admissions. When a donor discovers her past, he withdraws his funding, and Julian desperately tries to hide a YouTube video of her stripping.

During the visit, Harper discovers that Mia is secretly battling terminal cancer. She confides in him and asks him to help Lance accept her diagnosis. While volunteering at a shelter, Lance discovers Harper's secret biography project and is furious. Mia confronts Lance about his ongoing feud with Harper, taking responsibility for her part in it and revealing that she knew about his infidelities.

On Christmas Day, Lance plays a football game, ultimately winning and breaking the all-time rushing yards record. The group rushes home to be with Mia, who dies shortly after. At the memorial service, Harper delivers a heartfelt eulogy, and the friends reflect on what truly matters in life.

Ten months later, Harper and Lance are closer than ever, and Harper has written Lance's biography. The film concludes with the birth of Harper and Robyn's baby girl, named Mia in tribute to their deceased friend.

Cast of The Best Man Holiday

The Best Man Holiday is a 2013 American comedy-drama film and a sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who also co-produced the film with Sean Daniel. The movie stars an ensemble cast, with many of the actors reprising their roles from the previous film. Here is a list of the cast members and their respective characters:

Taye Diggs as Harper Stewart:

Diggs portrays Harper Stewart, a writer who experiences writer's block and financial difficulties. He is the estranged friend of Lance Sullivan and the husband of Robyn Stewart.

Sanaa Lathan as Robyn Stewart:

Lathan plays Robyn Stewart, the pregnant wife of Harper Stewart. She and Harper have been trying to conceive for years through expensive fertility treatments.

Nia Long as Jordan Armstrong:

Long portrays Jordan Armstrong, the best friend of Candace "Candy" Sparks and girlfriend of Brian McDonald. She is a successful producer at MSNBC, having won several Emmys.

Morris Chestnut as Lance Sullivan:

Chestnut plays Lance Sullivan, a former football player for the New York Giants who is set to retire. He is the husband of Mia Sullivan and the estranged friend of Harper Stewart.

Harold Perrineau as Julian "Murch" Murchison:

Perrineau portrays Julian "Murch" Murchison, the husband of Candace Sparks and friend of the group. He runs a renowned school and faces challenges due to his wife's past.

Terrence Howard as Quentin "Q" Spivey:

Howard plays Quentin "Q" Spivey, a successful brand manager with connections to prominent celebrities. He is a member of the friend group and provides support to Harper during a difficult time.

Monica Calhoun as Mia Sullivan:

Calhoun portrays Mia Sullivan, the wife of Lance Sullivan. She is battling terminal cancer and tries to mend the relationship between her husband and Harper.

Melissa De Sousa as Shelby Taylor:

De Sousa plays Shelby Taylor, a prominent reality television star on The Real Housewives franchise. She causes tension within the group, particularly with Candace.

Regina Hall as Candace "Candy" Sparks:

Hall portrays Candace "Candy" Sparks, the wife of Julian "Murch" Murchison and best friend of Jordan Armstrong. She is a former stripper, and her past comes back to haunt her during the film.

Eddie Cibrian as Brian McDonald:

Cibrian plays Brian McDonald, the white boyfriend of Jordan Armstrong. He plans to visit his family in Vermont for Christmas, leading to a conflict with Jordan.

John Michael Higgins as Stan:

Higgins portrays the character Stan.

Other cast members include Isis Moore as Kennedy, Riele Downs as Faith Sullivan, Millie Davis as Hope, Catherine Bruhier as Dr. Perkins, and Chris Williams as the voice of Dr. Nelson.

Awards and nominations

The Best Man Holiday, the Christmas-themed sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man, received several accolades and nominations. At the Acapulco Black Film Festival, the film won three awards: Best Ensemble Cast, Best Actress for Nia Long, and Best Supporting Actor for Terrence Howard. It was also nominated for Best Actor (Morris Chestnut), Movie of the Year (Malcolm D. Lee and Sean Daniel), Best Screenplay (Malcolm D. Lee), Best Supporting Actress (Sanaa Lathan), and Best Director (Malcolm D. Lee).

At the 2014 Black Reel Awards, The Best Man Holiday received five nominations: Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture (Nia Long), Outstanding Director, Motion Picture (Malcolm D. Lee), Outstanding Screenplay (Adapted or Original), Motion Picture (Malcolm D. Lee), Outstanding Ensemble (Julie Hutchinson), and Outstanding Score (Stanley Clarke).

The film was also nominated four times at the 45th NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Morris Chestnut and Terrence Howard), and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Malcolm D. Lee).

Production and filming locations

The Best Man Holiday is a 2013 comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It is a sequel to Lee's 1999 film The Best Man. The film stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, and Melissa De Sousa, all of whom reprised their roles from the previous film.

The Best Man Holiday was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, between April 4, 2013, and June 30, 2013. Toronto served as a stand-in for New York City, where the story is set, likely due to cost-effectiveness and the availability of local studios and skilled production designers.

The film includes minimal exterior shots, most of which were captured on the streets of Toronto, which bear a resemblance to Upstate New York. The interior sequences, including the lavish mansion of Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Robyn (Monica Calhoun), were filmed at Pinewood Studios in Toronto with the help of local visual effects companies Mr.X VFX and Rocket Science VFX. The mansion is a 34,000-square-foot property located in Toronto's upscale Bridle Path neighborhood.

To capture the football scenes, the production team visited Buffalo, New York, specifically the Highmark Stadium at 1 Bills Drive in Orchard Park. The stadium was known as the Ralph Wilson Stadium during the filming of the movie.

The Best Man Holiday had a production budget of $17 million and grossed $72.8 million worldwide, making it a commercial success.

Soundtrack

The Best Man Holiday: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, released by RCA Records on 25 October 2013, features Christmas music and songs by prominent artists. The album includes both original and existing tracks by R. Kelly, Jordin Sparks, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Ne-Yo, Marsha Ambrosius, John Legend, and Emeli Sandé, to name a few.

Director Malcolm D. Lee shared that music was essential to the entirety of the film experience. He also added that the songs not only make up the fabric of the movie but also served as inspiration for the creation of the screenplay. Lee drew inspiration from his experiences listening to Christmas music and integrated it into the film.

The soundtrack features covers of Christmas songs performed by Stevie Wonder, Nat King Cole, and Marvin Gaye. Lee also wrote several Christmas songs into the script while writing the film. He collaborated with RCA Records, which assembled a roster of talented artists to contribute to the soundtrack.

The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter noted that while the Christmas standards on the soundtrack were overused, there was still a lot of effective music in the film. Andrew Barker of Variety praised it as an "ace soundtrack full of soulful yuletide tunes", and Drew Taylor of IndieWire called it "a killer soundtrack full of late-'90s party jams".

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