“A
whirlwind romance between two
young African-Americans from totally
different backgrounds brings their
families together for a high-class
wedding, giving plenty of opportunities
for hilarity as truths are told, minds are
spoken, personalities clash and secrets
are revealed in the superb romantic
comedy Jumping The Broom...”
AFTER A SERIES OF DISASTROUS dates, beautiful uptown girl Sabrina Watson
(Paula Patton: Precious) meets attractive downtown Brooklyn boy Jason
Taylor (Laz Alonso: Just Wright; This Christmas) when she accidentally
drives into him.
Sabrina introduces Jason to her world and he fits perfectly into it; visiting
the opera and eating at expensive restaurants. When he romantically proposes
he learns she is to take up a promotion in Peking, China, and they decide to
marry before they leave together.
Sabrina introduces Jason to her parents, Claudine (Angela Bassett (Academy Award
nominee, Best Actress, What's Love Got To Do With It, 1993) and Gregory
Watson (Brian Stokes Mitchell), who adore Jason, but she has yet to meet her
future husband's friends and family who are coming to the wedding at Sabrina's
family home in Martha's Vineyard.
With the arrival of Jason's outspoken mother Pam (Loretta Devine: For Coloured
Girls; Death At A Funeral), comes chaos. Nobody is ever going to be good
enough for her "baby" and that includes rich girl Sabrina, who begins to believe
Pam — who is on an anger-management programme — is the mother-in-law
from hell.
Sabrina makes things worse by refusing to 'jump the broom', an old African-American
tradition from the days of slavery, when black people were denied conventional
marriages and showed their commitment to each other by jumping over a broom.
It has always been a very important part of the weddings in Pam's family and
she has her grandmother's broom at the ready.
When the two families are thrown together, chaos rules. Pam's best friend Shonda
(the delightful Tasha Smith) becomes an object of desire for Sabrina's 20-year-old
cousin Sebastian (Romeo Miller); Blythe (Meagan Good), the Maid of Honour, attracts
the attentions of the chef (Gary Dourdon) and Sabrina's aunt Geneva (Valarie
Pettiford) goes head-to-head with her sister Claudine. Jason's uncle Willie
Earl (Mike Epps: Faster; The Hangover) tries to hit on Geneva
and Malcolm (DeRoy Davis) is upset that Jason has chosen his friend Ricky (Pooch
Hall) as his Best Man.
The cracks are also beginning to show in Claudine and Gregory's marriage; and
when a distressing secret is revealed, Sabrina calls off the wedding. Will love
conquer all as the wedding guests struggle to overcome their differences in
this romantic comedy?
Jumping The Broom explores the universal themes of passion, love and
family when two families of different backgrounds merge for a wedding and two
cultures collide: the downtown Taylors and the uptown Watsons. The sparks fly.
Jumping The Broom is an hilarious, uproarious and unmissable romantic
comedy.
The star-studded, competent cast also includes: Julie Bowen (Television's Modern
Family) as Amy; T D Jakes as Reverend James; and Vera Cudjoe as Mabel. Jumping
The Broom is Directed by Salim Akil from a story by Elizabeth Hunter and
a screenplay by Elizabeth Hunter and Arlene Gibbs; Original Music by Edward
Shearmur; Cinematography by Anastas N Michos; Producers are: T D Jakes (also
Reverend James), Tracey E Edmonds, Curtis Wallace, Elizabeth Hunter and Glendon
Palmer.
• The heart-warming romantic comedy Jumping
The Broom debuts on DVD, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on
23 January 2012. RRP: £19.99 | Certificate: 12 | Running Time: 108 Minutes.
DVD Bonus Features Include: Commentary with Director Salim Akil, Paula
Patton and Laz Alonso | Featurette: You're Invited: Behind The Scenes | Featurette:
Honouring The Tradition of Jumping The Broom.
"Jumping The Broom is an hilarious, uproarious and unmissable romantic
comedy" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
Understatement of the movie — Reverend James: "But I should warn you
that sometimes life will really test you… even a soul-mate can really test you."
“A
whirlwind romance between two