The Best Man Holiday R
This sequel to the 1999 film was conceived at a cast reunion dinner. The reunion concept carried over to a plot that finds the friends reuniting 15 years after college. Taye Diggs returns as protagonist Harper Stewart, with Sanaa Lathan playing his wife. Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa and Regina Hall all reprise their original roles. Nia Long appears as a black professional woman given grief for dating a “white boy.” While fans of the first film are eager to see the characters evolve, Howard has revealed that some have not changed for the better, and to expect something tragic to occur. Let’s hope the real tragedy doesn’t prove to be following up a good first effort with a half-baked sequel. (Lisa Miller)
Dallas Buyers Club R
When AIDS came to public awareness, treatments were largely ineffective. Many also believed the disease existed exclusively within the gay community. It was in this environment, during the 1980s, that Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a raging homophobe and rodeo rider, was diagnosed with AIDS and told he had one month to live. Frustrated by the lack of treatment options, Woodroof undertook a global hunt for medical help and founded the Dallas Buyers Club to supply treatment for those diagnosed with the disease. Jared Leto appears as transvestite Rayon, a touchstone for Woodroof’s transformation from a redneck to a man caring for all. Cast as a sympathetic doctor, Jennifer Garner does what she can with a largely superfluous role. McConaughey, having lost 50 pounds to play Woodroof, is skin and bones, but he delivers a powerhouse performance in this adaptation based on a true story. (L.M.)
