The Best Man Holiday is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. A sequel to Lee's The Best Man (1999), it stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun and Melissa De Sousa, all reprising their roles from the previous film. Along with Lee, the film was produced by Sean Daniel.
Highly anticipated, the project was announced in October 2011 and principal photography began in April 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. The Best Man Holiday was released on November 15, 2013, by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, Lee's direction and the dramatic elements, with some criticism aimed at the screenplay. It was a commercial success, grossing $72.8 million worldwide on a production budget of $17 million.
The film received multiple accolades and nominations, including being nominated four times at the 45th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Chestnut and Howard) and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Lee).
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Plot
15 years after his blockbuster debut novel, Harper Stewart has writer's block and financial difficulties from being laid off from NYU and fertility treatments for his now-pregnant wife Robyn. Harper's agent suggests he write a biography of his former best friend and New York Giants superstar Lance Sullivan, who is set to retire. Though on speaking terms, Lance keeps Harper at a distance. Harper reluctantly agrees to do it, but in secret.
Meanwhile, Lance's wife Mia has invited Harper, Robyn and the rest of the gang for Christmas: Julian "Murch" Murchison and wife Candace Sparks, her best friend Jordan Armstrong (and Jordan's white boyfriend, Brian McDonald), Quentin "Q" Spivey, and Shelby Taylor. Shelby is a prominent reality television star on the hit The Real Housewives franchise. Q is a successful brand manager, heavily connected to prominent celebrities. Jordan is a producer at MSNBC, winning several Emmys. Julian runs a renowned school with former stripper Candace as his head of admissions. His main donor abruptly pulls his funding from the school when he learns of Candace's past. Julian finds a YouTube video of her stripping and accepting money for sex at a fraternity party, which he desperately tries to hide from Candace and the rest of the gang.
As the friends catch up, old tensions resurface. Harper awkwardly attempts to mend his friendship with Lance while discreetly gaining research for the biography. Shelby presses Murch to rekindle their relationship in the wake of his and Candace's marriage. Robyn struggles to bond with Jordan, knowing her history with Harper. During a pajama party, the gang has a good time, with the men dancing and lip-syncing to New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain", which Mia sees has worked to patch up old wounds between Lance and Harper. Harper later finds Mia downstairs vomiting blood; she admits her terminal cancer diagnosis and asks him to help Lance accept it.
The next morning, Q and Shelby accidentally switch phones and she finds Candace's video. She tries to coerce Julian into resuming their relationship but he refuses. Soon afterwards, Candace confronts Shelby, leading to a physical altercation after which Candace leaves with the kids. Later, she returns and reconciles with Julian. When Brian has to leave to visit his family in Vermont for Christmas, Jordan dismissively states that she doesn't need him.
The ladies are preparing for a spa day when Mia collapses. This forces Harper to tell everyone about Mia's condition and everyone is supportive.
Production
In October 2011, it was announced that a sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man was in development. On February 22, 2013, it was announced that the film would be titled The Best Man Holiday.
In March 2013, Terrence Howard revealed details about the film, saying: "I think it's going to be an amazing film and I get teary-eyed thinking about it because there's some tragedy in it. That's all I'll say...[Director and screenwriter] Malcolm Lee showed us what intelligent young black people were capable of in The Best Man I, but The Best Man II, it shows where people go, whether they're doing the right thing or the wrong thing, and how much we need each other within our community."
Principal photography began in April 2013 in Toronto, Ontario.
Home media
The Best Man Holiday was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 11, 2014, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Reception
Box office
The Best Man Holiday debuted with a $10.7 million Friday total, notably beating Thor: The Dark World for the top box office spot of that day. The Best Man Holiday did even better the next day earning $12.4 million on Saturday. It then went on to be the number two film of the weekend, taking in close to $30.6 million. It eventually earned a total of $70.5 million in the United States and $72.8 million worldwide.
Critical response
As of May 2025, the film holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 96 reviews with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Best Man Holiday manages honest laughs out of broad humor, and affects convincing drama from a deeply conventional plot." Metacritic gives the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade.
The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday gave it 2.5 stars, saying the "[s]equel is both a romp and a tearjerker... Like a long-lost soap opera emerging from a Rip Van Winkle–length hiatus, 'The Best Man Holiday' has lost none of its often baggy, saggy melodrama; luckily, when things get too soppy, Howard can be depended on for crude one-liners that land with all the more finesse thanks to his smoky, slightly stoned delivery. ...And 'The Best Man Holiday' has clearly caught up with the times, with one plot point revolving around social media run amok, off-handedly invoking everyone from Barack Obama (natch) to Melissa Harris-Perry, Olivia Pope and Robin Thicke".
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack includes songs by R. Kelly, Jordin Sparks, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Ne-Yo, Marsha Ambrosius, John Legend, Emeli Sandé, and more.
Awards and nominations
Acapulco Black Film Festival
Best Ensemble Cast (winner)
Best Actress—Nia Long (winner)
Best Supporting Actor—Terrence Howard (winner)
Best Actor—Morris Chestnut (nominated)
Movie of the Year—Malcolm D. Lee and Sean Daniel (nominated)
Best Screenplay—Malcolm D. Lee (nominated)
Best Supporting Actress—Sanaa Lathan (nominated)
Best Director—Malcolm D. Lee (nominated)
14th BET Awards
Best Movie (nominated)
2014 Black Reel Awards
Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture—Nia Long (nominated)
Outstanding Director, Motion Picture—Malcolm D. Lee (nominated)
Outstanding Screenplay (Adapted or Original), Motion Picture—Malcolm D. Lee (nominated)
Outstanding Ensemble—Julie Hutchinson (nominated)
Outstanding Score—Stanley Clarke (nominated)
45th NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Motion Picture (nominated)
Sequel
On July 22, 2014, Universal announced that a third film, The Best Man Wedding, was to be released on April 15, 2016. In April 2016, the film was put on hold indefinitely.
In February 2021, Peacock gave a limited series order to a follow-up consisting of ten episodes. The Best Man: The Final Chapters is created by Lee and Dayna Lynne North, who also serve as executive producers. Chestnut, Diggs, Hall, Howard, Lathan, Long, Perrineau and De Sousa are set to reprise their roles. The 8-episode series premiered on December 22, 2022.