Review of "Jumping The Broom"
Published 5/2/11
Written By: Elizabeth Hunter, Arlene Gibbs
Directed By: Salim Akil
Starring: Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, Angela Bassett
Jumping the broom will not be a familiar reference to many audiences, but it refers to an African-American wedding custom rooted in slave times during which newlyweds jump over a broom (as in the item used for cleaning) as they step off of their wedding alter. It is similar to the Jewish tradition of breaking a glass, or so it is explained by Pam Taylor (Loretta Devine), the mother of the groom in the wedding-based romantic comedy “Jumping The Broom.”
In the movie, Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton), daughter of a wealthy family with a house in the Hamptons and an elevated sense of themselves because of it, falls in love with Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso), son of fiercely overprotective postal worker Ms. Taylor. Needless to say, though Jason has entered Sabrina’s world of wealth through his job, their families are on two different planes. When a job opportunity in China forces Sabrina and Jason to consider marriage after only six months of dating, Sabrina’s parents offer to host the wedding. To do so, of course, they must also host Jason’s family.
“Jumping the Broom” is mostly a predictable romantic comedy, but the movie includes some surprisingly sharp criticism of the politics of class within the black community. In the story it is extremely important to Ms. Taylor that Sabrina and Jason “jump the broom” at their wedding, a tradition that connotes an embrace of a shared black history based in slavery and oppression. Sabrina and Jason decide against the idea, in part because Sabrina’s family is against it. They are attempting to distance themselves from what they see as the baser elements of black culture, mostly through an obsession with French culture and “civilized” refinement. It eventually becomes clear that their refinement is as much an act as the Ms. Taylor’s over-the-top characterization of the working-class black community, but both are forced to face the ways in which their negative expectations of each other have impacted their relationships. In general the story favors Ms. Taylor’s hard-knuckle approach to life, only criticizing it when necessary for comedic reasons, but we see how both families are burdened by a similar beast – their feelings about class.
The movie struggles a bit under the weight of it’s own title. An explanation of what “jumping the broom” is had to be slipped in somewhere since it is not that widespread a tradition even within African-American community (it had a comeback after it was featured in “Roots,” but had essentially been forgotten by most before then). It is written into a superfluous teaching moment for Ms. Taylor, who explains to it a table full of people who already know what it is and what they think about it.
Beyond it’s politics, “Jumping The Broom” doesn’t offer anything remarkable, but it’s a solid enough romcom. Loretta Devine and Tasha Smith (“Shonda Peterkin”) are given most of the good laughs and earn them, but Angela Bassett (“Claudine Watson,” Sabrina’s mother) isn’t given nearly enough to work with. Many of the laughs are at the white wedding planner’s (Julie Bowen) expense, all of which are cheap jabs at her cultural insensitivity. Paula Patton and Laz Alonso give somewhat stiff performances during their many moments that are ripped straight from Julia Roberts movies, but are charming enough.
Crowds that enjoy romantic comedies will enjoy this film as much as any other, but it certainly doesn’t break any new ground. It does, however, include an interesting look at the complicated socio-economic landscape within the black community.
Directed By: Salim Akil
Starring: Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, Angela Bassett
Jumping the broom will not be a familiar reference to many audiences, but it refers to an African-American wedding custom rooted in slave times during which newlyweds jump over a broom (as in the item used for cleaning) as they step off of their wedding alter. It is similar to the Jewish tradition of breaking a glass, or so it is explained by Pam Taylor (Loretta Devine), the mother of the groom in the wedding-based romantic comedy “Jumping The Broom.”
In the movie, Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton), daughter of a wealthy family with a house in the Hamptons and an elevated sense of themselves because of it, falls in love with Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso), son of fiercely overprotective postal worker Ms. Taylor. Needless to say, though Jason has entered Sabrina’s world of wealth through his job, their families are on two different planes. When a job opportunity in China forces Sabrina and Jason to consider marriage after only six months of dating, Sabrina’s parents offer to host the wedding. To do so, of course, they must also host Jason’s family.
“Jumping the Broom” is mostly a predictable romantic comedy, but the movie includes some surprisingly sharp criticism of the politics of class within the black community. In the story it is extremely important to Ms. Taylor that Sabrina and Jason “jump the broom” at their wedding, a tradition that connotes an embrace of a shared black history based in slavery and oppression. Sabrina and Jason decide against the idea, in part because Sabrina’s family is against it. They are attempting to distance themselves from what they see as the baser elements of black culture, mostly through an obsession with French culture and “civilized” refinement. It eventually becomes clear that their refinement is as much an act as the Ms. Taylor’s over-the-top characterization of the working-class black community, but both are forced to face the ways in which their negative expectations of each other have impacted their relationships. In general the story favors Ms. Taylor’s hard-knuckle approach to life, only criticizing it when necessary for comedic reasons, but we see how both families are burdened by a similar beast – their feelings about class.
The movie struggles a bit under the weight of it’s own title. An explanation of what “jumping the broom” is had to be slipped in somewhere since it is not that widespread a tradition even within African-American community (it had a comeback after it was featured in “Roots,” but had essentially been forgotten by most before then). It is written into a superfluous teaching moment for Ms. Taylor, who explains to it a table full of people who already know what it is and what they think about it.
Beyond it’s politics, “Jumping The Broom” doesn’t offer anything remarkable, but it’s a solid enough romcom. Loretta Devine and Tasha Smith (“Shonda Peterkin”) are given most of the good laughs and earn them, but Angela Bassett (“Claudine Watson,” Sabrina’s mother) isn’t given nearly enough to work with. Many of the laughs are at the white wedding planner’s (Julie Bowen) expense, all of which are cheap jabs at her cultural insensitivity. Paula Patton and Laz Alonso give somewhat stiff performances during their many moments that are ripped straight from Julia Roberts movies, but are charming enough.
Crowds that enjoy romantic comedies will enjoy this film as much as any other, but it certainly doesn’t break any new ground. It does, however, include an interesting look at the complicated socio-economic landscape within the black community.
