Jumping the Broom Synopsis: Two very different families converge on Martha’s Vineyard one weekend for a wedding. After another empty one-night stand, Sabrina (Paula Patton) makes a pact with God not to sleep with another man until she’s married. And then, in classic meet-cute fashion, she hits a good-looking man with her car, and it’s essentially love at first sight. After a few months of dating, Sabrina gets a job offer in China and asks Jason (Laz Alonso) to try the long-distance thing. Jason declines but then surprises Sabrina with a proposal. Everything moves very quickly after that, which strains both Jason’s and Sabrina’s families. It certainly doesn’t help that Jason comes from a more modest background that clashes with Sabrina’s privileged upbringing. This movie takes place over three days in Martha’s Vineyard. There is plenty of family drama right off the bat, as Jason’s mother, Pam, is already not a fan of Sabrina, considering they had yet to meet before the wedding. Not to mention that Sabrina tells Pam that she and Jason will not be jumping the broom at the wedding, a tradition Pam has her heart set on for her son. While the family drama escalates, more minor subplots occur —the maid of honor falls for the family cook, Sabrina’s younger cousin pursues Pam’s best friend Shonda, and Jason’s cousin Malcolm is offended that he wasn’t chosen to be Jason’s best man. One would think it would be hard to keep up with everything going on, but director Salim Akil does a fine job balancing these stories and adequately fleshing out the characters. They’re flawed, even unlikeable, but their motivations are never questioned. That said, I would have had a tough time forgiving either mother for their behavior because Pam and Sabrina’s mom, Claudine, are incredibly nasty people – at least for three-fourths of the movie. When a rather large family secret is exposed, it’s forgiven far too quickly and with very little repercussion. Then again, maybe forgiveness is supposed to be a central theme here, but I had trouble believing everything would be tied up so neatly by the time the couple says “I do”. The cast itself is pretty great, specifically Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine. Both women are powerhouses, and watching them go toe-to-toe was divine, even when I disliked their characters. The two actresses carried the movie and made it look effortless. Laz Alonso did a fine job as Jason, torn between staying true to his roots and being the kind of husband Sabrina deserved. Paula Patton is so sweetly soft-spoken that it was difficult to figure out if Sabrina was being sincere or manipulative. I’m still not sure if that was the point. Jumping the Broom is a movie I would recommend if you love weddings and catty, family drama, but don’t expect to fall in love with any of the characters. Watched: 08/13/2021 Notable Song: La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong