Jumping The Broom full of real people

Salim Akil’s wedding comedy smuggles a surprisingly cogent commentary on class divisions among black Americans into its otherwise predictable story framework, giving the movie a welcome bite that helps it rise above the average romcom. Sabrina (Paula Patton) and Jason (Laz Alonso) get engaged after a brief courtship, setting up a nuptial weekend that brings together Sabrina’s upper-crust family, headed up by a tightly-wound Angela Bassett, and Jason’s working-class brood, which includes matriarch Loretta Devine. After an unsteady opening act, the film finds its footing when the two sides of the family begin aiming their distinct brands of snobbery at each other. Rather than traffic in broad stereotypes, Akil and the committed cast show real people grappling with real cultural schisms, coming up with a meatier-than-usual matrimonial movie.

This article appears in May 5-11, 2011.