The Best Man's Big Reveal: When Does He Come Out?

The Best Man is an American comedy-drama film released in 1999, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs and Nia Long. It follows Harper Stewart, a writer and committed bachelor who has written a novel based on the lives of his friends. Just before his friend's wedding, an advance copy of the book makes its way into the hands of his ex-flame, Jordan Armstrong, and Harper attempts to keep it under wraps. The film explores the dynamics of friendship, romance, and the complexities of relationships, with a focus on the African-American experience. It received positive reviews for its strong cast, well-defined characters, and thoughtful exploration of its themes.

The Best Man's plot

The Best Man is an American comedy-drama film released in 1999. The movie is written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee and stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs and Nia Long. The plot centres around Harper Stewart, an up-and-coming author from Chicago, whose debut novel, Unfinished Business, has been selected by Oprah's Book Club. Harper's devoted girlfriend Robyn is frustrated by his reluctance to commit to her.

Harper travels to New York City to spend the weekend with old college friends before they all attend the wedding of his friend Lance Sullivan, a New York Giants running back, to Mia Morgan. Harper is the best man at the wedding and reunites with his friends Julian "Murch" Murchison and Jordan Armstrong. Jordan shares an advance copy of Unfinished Business with their inner circle of friends, upon whom the book is based. This creates tension as the group realises the book is about Harper's friends and their past relationships, including a one-night stand between Harper and Mia in college.

As the wedding weekend progresses, secrets are revealed, and relationships are tested. Harper's friend Quentin Spivey is a free spirit who has never been able to settle down, and Murch is dating the domineering Shelby, who none of the friends approve of. Harper is unsure about remaining a bachelor, and his friend Lance has renounced his womanizing ways. Flashbacks to their college days reveal that Harper introduced Lance to Mia and that Harper and Jordan almost slept together.

As the wedding draws closer, Harper's secret is at risk of being exposed, leading to a series of confrontations and difficult decisions for the group. The movie explores themes of friendship, loyalty, commitment, and fidelity, providing a unique and well-paced story that received mostly positive reviews from critics.

The Best Man's cast

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The Best Man (1964)

The Best Man is a 1964 American political drama film starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, and Lee Tracy. The film's supporting cast includes Edie Adams, Margaret Leighton, Ann Sothern, Shelley Berman, Gene Raymond, and Kevin McCarthy.

The Best Man (1999)

The Best Man is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs, Nia Long, and the debut of Regina Hall. The cast also includes Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, and Monica Calhoun.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)

The Best Man: The Final Chapters is an American comedy-drama television miniseries created by Malcolm D. Lee and developed by Lee and Dayna Lynne North. It is a sequel to the 1999 film and the 2013 film The Best Man Holiday. The cast includes Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau, who reprise their roles from the 1999 film.

The Best Man (2023)

The Best Man is an action-thriller film about mercenaries who seize control of a remote resort hotel during a wedding. Unfortunately, I could not find detailed cast information for this film.

The Best Man's critical reception

The Best Man, a 1999 American comedy-drama film, received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 72% positive rating based on reviews by 71 critics, with the site's consensus stating:

> "With a strong cast and a host of well-defined characters, The Best Man is an intelligent, funny romantic comedy that marks an impressive debut for writer/director Malcolm D. Lee."

At Metacritic, the film averaged a favourable 61% rating from 30 critics. AllMovie gave the film 3/5 stars, with reviewer Jason Clark stating that the film has "occasional moments of ripe humour, but it fails to say anything new about troubled weddings or the experience of being an upwardly mobile African-American looking for love."

Howard's performance in particular earned much praise from film critics, and The Best Man is considered to be his breakout film. Clark stated that Howard "commands the screen with such abandon that one secretly wishes the film could have been all about his oddly captivating character".

The film received numerous awards and accolades. All eight principal cast members received nominations at the 2000 NAACP Image Awards, with wins for Howard and Long, and for Outstanding Motion Picture.

The Best Man's sequel

The Best Man: The Final Chapters is the highly anticipated sequel to the 1999 film, The Best Man, and was released in 2022. The limited series follows Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) and his friends as they navigate romance, family, and friendship in their middle age.

Plot

The series begins with Harper once again acting as best man, this time for his friend Quentin's wedding. The group of friends, including Jordan, Lance, Murch, Robin, Candace, and Shelby, react differently to Harper's plans to turn his book, Unfinished Business, into a movie. The series explores the evolution of their relationships and the resurfacing of past grievances.

Episodes

The eight episodes of the series are:

• Paradise: Harper is the best man at Quentin's wedding, and the group of friends reunites in paradise.
• The Wedding: Lance finds inspiration at the wedding, Jordan questions her work-life balance, and Harper makes a decision about the movie.
• Brown Girl Dreaming: Robin is concerned about Harper's career ambitions and their home, Jordan gets creative to save a new show, and Shelby struggles to elevate her career.
• The Invisible Man: Lance returns to his former glory, encouraging his son to follow in his footsteps, while Candace pursues a new thesis advisor and Murch confronts a 'Karen'.
• The Party: During New Year's celebrations, Jordan tries new love, Quentin and Lance face parenting challenges, and Candace throws a party.
• An American Marriage: Harper and Robin deal with work-life conflicts as his movie premieres, and Jordan, Lance, and Quentin grapple with revelations about their loved ones.
• Things Fall Apart: Harper and Robin struggle with conflicting priorities, Candace and Murch discover each other's secrets, and Jordan receives surprising news.
• The Audacity of Hope: The friends support Lance as he deals with a family crisis, and Harper and Robin work to redefine their relationship.

Reception

The series received mostly positive reviews, with praise for its natural ageing of the characters and exploration of their individual journeys in their late 40s and early 50s. The storylines were considered well-paced and not overly dramatized. However, the finale was criticised for leaving some questions unanswered, particularly regarding Murch's financial concerns and Jordan's health issues.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

The show is set a few years after the events of The Best Man Holiday and centres around the lives of Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), Robyn Stewart (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), Quentin Spivey (Terrence Howard), Shelby Taylor (Melissa De Sousa), Julian "Murch" Murchison (Harold Perrineau), and Candace "Candy" Sparks-Murchison (Regina Hall).

In the series, the group of friends navigate the complexities of midlife as their relationships evolve and past grievances resurface. Harper, a Chicago writer, seeks everyone's approval to turn his first book into a film. Meanwhile, Jordan gets creative at work, and Lance seeks purpose in his life. As the story unfolds, the friends are faced with life-altering challenges and explore the "what ifs" in their lives.

The series received positive reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 91% approval rating, while Metacritic indicated "mixed or average reviews." The Best Man: The Final Chapters offers a blend of comedy and drama, exploring the dynamics of evolving relationships and the challenges of midlife crises and renaissance.

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