Jumping the Broom - 2 smiles

It’s the haves versus the have-nots in “Jumping the Broom” and both groups are snobs who air their biases without any social filters. The film offers two African-American families who meet for a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard where the contrast in class divisions is all the more visible. And although Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine are exceptional actresses, their performances suggest they were asked to over-dramatize every scene. Plus director Salim Akil asks viewers to buy into major issues of classism, infidelity, bankruptcy and paternity, all in less than two hours. But since this is supposed to be a romantic comedy (with a lot of melodrama thrown in), you can’t expect it to explore these themes too deeply.

The Watson family opens the doors of its magnificent Martha’s Vineyard compound to the blue-collar, Brooklyn-based Taylors when daughter Sabrina (Paula Patton) rushes into an engagement to Wall Street up-and-comer Jason (Laz Alonso). It’s rushed because she will soon take a job in China. The families meet for the first time on the day before the wedding and the conflict between the two mothers, Bassett’s Claudine and Devine’s Pam, takes center stage. Promising subplots never fully develop, but they include a bridesmaid (Meagan Good) with a penchant for picking wrong men who hooks up with the wedding chef (Gary Dourdan), a university student (Romeo Miller) with an eye for Pam’s best friend (Tasha Smith), and Claudine’s black sheep sister (Valarie Pettiford). Events rush to a happy conclusion without any credibility. 5/15/11