chapel of love

i don't usually review new movies that i've seen unless they're absolutely classic. and although jumping the broom is not something i would deem as such, it's definitely one of the best films about black culture in a very long time and deserves the praise it's not getting from the median of cinematic critics. in a post-precious world inundated by tyler perry's quasi-minstrel comedies and dramadies, it's hard to find any films that don't feature a cross-dressing comedian or get-rich-quick schemes. but here you have this simply-structured, class-conscious gem focusing on the hurried nuptials between two good-looking manhattan professionals (laz alonso, paula patton) over the course of a weekend set on a martha's vineyard estate as they try to keep their libidos in check and keep their families (spearheaded by loretta divine and angela bassett) from embarrassing themselves.

in many ways, this could be seen as a typical wedding comedy, however there are enough wildly dramatic unexpected twists and turns that equate the amount of laughter one produces while watching. indeed most of the humor does come from the sociocultural differences between the families, ignoring the perry-style, in which the have-nots are viewed as heroes against the haves' viscous inhumanity, and instead, reaching a bit deeper into the world of obama-era inter-race politics, including everything from color gradients to the neo-truth yet oft-unmentioned subject of black-owned slavery. however there is nothing more magnificent about this film than the use of facial expressions to convey feeling and emotion, making it deeply reminiscent to the moodiness of the silent era. each actor has the unique talent of widening their eyes, stretching a smile, or sinking into sadness without looking hysterical, ridiculous, nor campy. if this were made in 1923 and released by united artists, it would be hailed as a work of art.

yet that is where i differ with modern critics. where they find this to be a common "cliched" remastering of the 50's romcom, i find it to be a glossy cross-class examination of how one ethnicity will judge its own and how far we will go to destruct the very thing that the people we care for love. sure, it's lovely, cute, charming, and sweet. but it's also passionate, different, and something uniquely tailored but not exclusively for black audiences, who, whether you care to admit it or not, have always had to watch films populated by those of whom did not look like them and as such, have never denied seeing a movie because they did not believe they would understand. for blacks, understanding cinema is understanding life, and it would be wise if people of different ethnicities, would take the cue, take their heads out of their asses and follow suit.