''Jumping the Broom'' is a 2011 American romantic

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Salim Akil Salim Akil is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter from Oakland, California. He developed the television series ''Black Lightning'' based on a DC comics character of the same name. He is a co-founder of Akil Prod ...

and produced by Tracey E. Edmonds, Elizabeth Hunter,

T.D. Jakes Thomas Dexter Jakes (born June 9, 1957), known as T. D. Jakes, is an American bishop, author and filmmaker. He is the bishop of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch. Jakes's church services and Evangelistic sermons are b ...

, Glendon Palmer, and Curtis Wallace. The title of the film is derived from the Black American tradition of bride and groom jumping over a ceremonial broom after being married. As historian Tyler D. Parry notes in ''Jumping the Broom: The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual'', the film uses the broomstick wedding to explore the intersections of class, race, and culture in the United States, alongside the different conceptions that African Americans hold regarding the custom's relevance for Black matrimony in the 21st century. The film was shot in Blue Rocks,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, standing in for Martha's Vineyard, the setting for the film.

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony ...

distributed the film in the United States on May 6, 2011. The film received mixed reviews with critics positively noting its cultural themes and well-selected cast, but criticized its tone, characterization, predictability, and screenplay.

Plot

Sabrina Watson (

Paula Patton Paula Maxine Patton (born December 5, 1975) is an American actress and producer. Patton made her feature film debut in the 2005 comedy '' Hitch'', and has had starring roles in the films ''Déjà Vu'' (2006), '' Precious'' (2009), '' Jumping th ...

) is the only child of the affluent Watson family; her mother Claudine ( Angela Bassett) and father Greg Watson ( Brian Stokes Mitchell) live on Martha's Vineyard. The film starts off with Sabrina with Bobby on the phone with a mistress and he is having an affair. She asks

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

to help her again get out of this situation and she promises (again) not to have another

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

with anyone and only have sex with her future husband. One day, she accidentally hits Jason Taylor (

Laz Alonso Laz or LAZ may refer to: People * Laz people of the Black Sea area **Laz language First name * Laz Alonso (born 1975), American actor * Laz Barrera (1924–1991), Cuban-born American racehorse trainer * Laz-D (born 1982), American rapper *Laz Dí ...

) when driving and not seeing him. She gets out to offer and overreacts. Jason forgives her and takes up a night of dinner with her. Five months later, after going out, Sabrina tells Jason about her job offer in China and asks him to still be with her in a long-distance relationship but Jason declines. She walks off sad and soon hears a music group singing, and Jason comes back and asks her to marry him, which she accepts. Sabrina's mother, who is running the wedding, has her doubts but trusts her daughter's judgement. After the couple talk to Reverend James (

), they decide to stay while a driver picks up Jason's family and friends. Jason's group is his insecure mother Pam (

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of '' Dreamg ...

), his charming uncle Willie Earl (

Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and '' The Hangover Part III'' as "Bl ...

), Pam's best friend Shonda (

Tasha Smith Tasha Smith (born February 28, 1971) is an American actress, director and producer. She began her career in a starring role on the NBC comedy series ''Boston Common'' (1996–97), and she later appeared in numerous movies and television series. ...

) and Jason's cousin Malcolm (

DeRay Davis Antoine DeRay Davis (born February 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actor.Todd Davis (February 2, 2008)Steph Jones: Heart & Soul ''HHNLive''. Accessed July 18, 2008. Life and career Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began ...

). Also appearing is Sabrina's aunt Geneva (

Valarie Pettiford Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production '' Fosse''. She is also known for her role as "Big Dee Dee" ...

). Their first meeting is awkward as everyone seems to dislike each other and they make small rude remarks. Pam becomes annoyed by Sabrina's acts of kindness and counts three strikes already against her. Sabrina talks to her friends during the cocktail party, one of them being her maid of honor Blythe (

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...

). While Blythe goes to get more wine, she meets Chef McKenna ( Gary Dourdan), and both instantly feel a connection. Shonda also meets Sabrina's cousin, Sebastian (

Romeo Miller Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

), who is instantly drawn to her. Shonda is attracted to him as well but she feels uncomfortable because she thinks he's too young for her. During the dinner at night, Pam gives a rude blessing and has a fight with Claudine but this is stopped by Greg. Claudine also says in French that she thinks Greg is having an affair with his associate Amanda. While outside, Pam listens in on Geneva and Claudine fighting and finds out that Geneva is actually Sabrina's mother and gave Sabrina to Claudine and Greg after she was born. During the bachelor party, Sabrina and Jason have a fight about his mother wanting them to be

jumping the broom ''Jumping the Broom'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey E. Edmonds, Elizabeth Hunter, T.D. Jakes, Glendon Palmer, and Curtis Wallace. The title of the film is derived from the Black ...

. Malcolm talks to Jason and complains and asks why he isn't the best man. Jason tells him that they haven't been best friends in years and Malcolm has only been there to ask for money. When Jason leaves and tries to apologize to Sabrina, Chef McKenna is busy kissing Blythe and not noticing the food which begins to burn which sets off the alarm. Sabrina closes the door on him but they make up through text; however, they have doubts about their wedding. In the morning, everything begins normally. The boys have a friendly game of football, though Pam tries to tell Jason about Claudine and Geneva's secret. Blythe also talks to McKenna about the relationship. McKenna tells her that he thinks she is beautiful and a relationship is still an option. Greg reveals to Claudine that he is not having an affair, but has made some bad investments and lost most of his money. While Pam is getting fitted in her dress, she tries to confront Sabrina about the secret but is interrupted when Jason gets hurt when pushed by Malcolm. Pam tells Sabrina to ask her parents who are her real parents. Claudine and Geneva tell the truth which hurts Sabrina and causes her to drive off and cancel the wedding. Jason confronts his mother and tells her he is a grown man and to stop treating him like a little boy. Jason tells everyone to look for Sabrina and also punches Malcolm for saying “ Now no one can be the best man now”. Jason prays to God to help him. Geneva is called by Sabrina who is at the docks in a boat. Geneva gives the story of Sabrina's father. He was a man in Paris whom she loved and planned to travel the world with but she soon found out he had a wife and child and she returned home alone and pregnant. Jason meets back with Sabrina and the two reconcile. Sabrina goes back home to dress. She gets a broom and a note from Pam saying she is returning home and is sorry. She chases down Pam and asks her to stay. They forgive each other and Pam agrees to stay. Jason and Sabrina have the wedding and also jump the broom. After the wedding, Sebastian kisses Shonda, finally winning her affections, and presumably begins a relationship. Greg and Claudine reconcile and she reveals she has secret funds, and that they are still wealthy. Malcolm and Amy (

Julie Bowen Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer (born March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom ''Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which she received critical acclaim and six nominations for the Prime ...

), the wedding planner, start sharing a moment together in which she asks if he wants to dance with her and he accepts. At the end, the whole family happily does the

Cupid Shuffle "Cupid Shuffle" is a song by Cupid (singer), Cupid from his 2007 studio album ''Time for a Change (album), Time for a Change''. It has spawned a popular line dance and has drawn comparisons to DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide". In the United States, th ...

Cast

as Sabrina Watson *

as Jason Taylor * Angela Bassett as Claudine Watson *

as Pam Taylor *

as Aunt Geneva *

as Willie Earl Taylor * Brian Stokes Mitchell as Greg Watson *

as Blythe *

as Shonda Peterkin *

as Malcolm *

as Sebastian *

Pooch Hall Marion "Pooch" Hall, Jr. (born February 8, 1976) is an American television and film actor known for his role as Derwin Davis, the football player on the sitcom '' The Game'', and as Ricky in the 2011 film ''Jumping the Broom''. He also played th ...

as Ricky * Gary Dourdan as Chef McKenna *

as Amy * Vera Cudjoe as Mabel *

Tenika Davis Tenika Davis (born July 16, 1985) is a Canadian actress and model. Career Tenika Davis started her career on ''Canada's Next Top Model ''Canada's Next Top Model'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''CNTM'') is a Canadian reality show in which femal ...

as Lauren *

as Reverend James *

El DeBarge Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include " Time Will Reveal", " Who's Hold ...

as Singer * Laura Kohoot as Amanda

Critical reception

''Jumping the Broom'' received mixed reviews from critics.

Review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gives the film an approval rating of 58%, based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 6.07/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its heart is in the right place – and so is its appealing cast – but ''Jumping the Broom'' is ultimately too cliched and thinly written to recommend". On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

the film has a score of 56 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Positive reviews include Kevin Thomas of ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' who said that the film "...is proof that it is still possible for a major studio release to be fun, smart and heart-tugging and devoid of numbskull violence and equally numbing special effects." Roger Ebert of ''

The Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' said that, "...the cast is large, well chosen and diverting." Negative reviews include Stephanie Merry of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' who criticized the characters of the mothers saying, "Any light moments are quickly nullified by the oppressive women vying for the title of world’s meanest mom." John Anderson of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' also commented on the film's "nasty tone".

Awards and nominations

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

** Best Picture, nominated ** Best Actor (Laz Alonso), nominated ** Best Supporting Actress (Angela Bassett), nominated ** Best Ensemble, nominated ** Best Director (Salim Akil), nominated ** Best Screenaplay (Elizabeth Hunter & Arlene Gibbs), nominated *

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

**Outstanding Motion Picture, nominated **Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Laz Alonso), Won **Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Paula Patton), nominated **Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Mike Epps), Won *

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

**Best Movie, nominated

Home media

It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 9, 2011.

References

External links

* * * *
''Jumping the Broom''
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jumping The Broom 2011 films 2011 directorial debut films 2011 comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films African-American films American comedy-drama films Films about interclass romance Films about weddings Films scored by Edward Shearmur Films set in Martha's Vineyard Films shot in Nova Scotia Stage 6 Films films TriStar Pictures films 2010s American films