Movie Review: “Jumping the Broom”
Wednesday, April 13th AimerAmour had the opportunity to attend an advance screening for the movie Jumping The Broom in theaters Friday, May 6th. The family oriented love story directed by Salim Akil stars Laz Alonzo and Paula Patton. The all-star cast also includes: Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Meagan Good, Tasha Smith, Romeo Miller, Pooch Hall and Mikes Epps. You can also expect to see cameos from R&B legend El DeBarge and Bishop T.D. Jakes.
The movie primarily takes place on a weekend the Watson and Taylor families come together for Sabrina (Patton) and Jason’s (Alonzo) wedding at a luxury home on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard. Uptown bred Sabrina is engaged to Jason, a successful executive from downtown Brooklyn. They decide to “tie the knot” after a 7 month affair when Sabrina is offered a career-elevating position in China. The perfect couple, Jason and Sabrina, struggle to keep from letting their not-so-perfect soon-to-be family members come between their relationship. Sabrina’s mother, Mrs. Watson (Bassett) and Jason’s mother, Mrs. Taylor (Devine) constantly but heads over conflicting views of family traditions, values and backgrounds. Aside from the eye-cutting, “hell-raising” dinner table prayers and sarcastic statements exchanged between the matriarchs of each family, everyone else is zeroing in on who and what they can get “hooked up” with while away for the luxurious wedding. Relationships are tested and the flames of romance are sparked between unlikely family members. Lies unfold and secrets are exposed, nearly ruining the magic of the upcoming nuptials. 
As I left the theater after watching Jumping The Broom, I felt optimistic for the direction that African American film are going in. Though it appears as if the same actors and actresses that are typically in black films were casted, Salim’s film satisfies the hunger for an all Black cast with a plot substantially different from oftentimes stereotypical Black Films. Jumping the Broom is a romantic comedy, with depth that delves into issues that African Americans have with one another when money and class are involved.
Downtown and down-home Mrs. Taylor believes that Mrs. Watson sits on a high horse and has forgotten her African American roots due to her family’s riches and high class rank in society. Mrs. Watson frowns upon the African-American marriage tradition of jumping a broom and her pride won’t let her acknowledge the fact that her family owned slaves. A recurring theme of class occurs when Jason and his cousin Malcolm (Davis) argue over Jason’s choice for the best-man as Sabrina’s maid-of-honor, Blythe (Good), finds herself falling for a guy “below her standards.”
Mike Epps character, Willie Earl gained my admiration when he gave Basset’s bourgeoisie character a piece of Mrs. Taylor’s advice, “You keep fighting progress, you gonna find yourself on the wrong side of history.”
Though Jumping the Broom was had many sentimental moments but it was also very funny. It was great to see jokes that weren’t just based on African American culture and stereotypes, they were relatable to all cultures. With T.D. Jakes as a producer, I expected the movie to have a more serious undertone, oversaturated by a religious message. I was relieved to find the gospel message to be more subliminal. It is evident, that the two main characters and their families are religious and believe in God as many scenes made references to and include praying. Christian values are also apparent in Sabrina and Jason’s choice to abstain from sex until marriage.
Much like the book, film adaptation “Women Art Thou Loosed” and other books written by T.D. Jakes, Jumping the Broom takes a more in-depth look into the life of the woman in the story rather than the man, which is my only concern with this film. T.D Jakes presents lies, secrets, and identity issues with Sabrina and her family while Jason and his family’s most apparent issue is intimidation from the Watson family’s money and prestige. The movie did not provide enough insight into Jason’s family and there were also several open ended conflicts and cliffhangers at the end of the movie.
Overall, I felt the movie was insightful. If you’re looking for a film that you can enjoy with your whole family on Mother’s Day, make sure you support “Jumping The Broom” in theaters nationwide May 6th!
“Life is like a disco. No matter how the music changes, you just keep dancing” – Mrs. Watson, Jumping The Broom
by: Atiera Jones @MzEccentrik