Viewers expecting a slapstick African-American version of “Father of the Bride” will find that “Jumping the Broom,” which opens Friday, is more subtle than the usual wedding comedy.
Executive produced by evangelist T.D. Jakes, the story follows the crooked path to the altar taken by blue-collar Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso), who rises to success, and Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton), the child of privilege whose moneyed world hides some secrets.
The invasion by the "downtown" Taylors of the "uptown" world of the Watsons, during a picture-perfect wedding at the Watsons' fabulous Martha's Vineyard mansion, is the usual set-up for "hilarity ensues."
But "Jumping the Broom" has a more shaded approach, exploring questions of skin-color prejudices within the black community and the sometimes caustic quality of mercy among Christians.
Jakes' spiritual message isn't heavy-handed. "It's more about believing in God and having a moral code," than about Christianity, said Meagan Good, who plays Blythe, Sabrina's uppity friend whose "no-scrubs" attitude goes through some changes when she finds true love among the kitchen help.
Good, 29, looking relaxed in a pair of highly-distressed cut-off shorts, and fellow ensemble member Pooch Hall, who plays Ricky, a comic-relief Ivy League classmate of Jason, were in Atlanta recently to talk about the movie, and to drop a few hints about the future of "The Game," Hall's hotly-followed football sitcom, filmed in Atlanta.
Hall was gratified to hear that the loudest response from the female members of the audience watching a recent screening of "Jumping the Broom" occurred when he took off his shirt during a touch football scene. "Great!" said the 35-year old, in black necktie, black vest and gray shirt. "I want to get into that action movie thing."
Another high-point in the movie involves Blythe's romance with the chef at the Watson-Taylor wedding, a coupling that offers a valuable message, said Good: "You've got to be open-minded."
It also gives Good a chance at a kissing scene. Nominated for a "best kiss" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, Good notes archly that she has had a kissing scene in every movie she's made since she was 14.
"Because she’s hella sexy for one, and a great actress," said Hall. "You can trust her with a kissing role. Give Meagan the ball, let her run with it."
Speaking of running with the ball, Hall said "The Game," in which he plays wide-receiver Derwin Davis, will return for a fifth season, switching from a four-camera to a one-camera format. Good has guested on the show a few times, and Hall is encouraging the producers to bring her back. Salim Akil directed many episodes of the show, and Hall said Akil brought his same loose, collaborative style to "Jumping the Broom," letting his ensemble take their roles to unscripted territory.
That experience plus the pleasure of working in Nova Scotia, were hallmarks of the experience, agreed Hall and Good. Nova Scotia stands in for Martha's Vineyard, and Hall said "It's a carbon copy, except for more mosquitoes."
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