DVD reviews: Jumping the Broom - Your Highness

Jumping the Broom ***

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Director: Salim Akil

Actors: Julie Bowen, Angela Bassett, Mike Epps

Uptown meets downtown in Martha’s Vineyard when two African-American families meet for the first time at the rushed wedding of their children, Sabrina (the uptown Watson family) and Jason (the blue-collar Taylors).

The wedding is rushed because Sabrina is taking a job in China and because she wants to “save her cookies” until after she is married.

But the real action and dialogue of the film takes place between Sabrina’s mother Claudine (Angela Bassett) and Jason’s postal worker mom Pam, who are at each other throats from their first meeting.

The entire plot revolves around the class difference between the matriarchs of the families and the movies uses every stereotype to portray their respective socioeconomic roles. While Jump the Broom certainly has it fair number of laughs, the writing constantly is hitting the audience overhead with a “broomstick” with its class differences and this comes at the expense of character and plot development.

To see the trailer visit: www.traileraddict.com/trailer/jumping-the-broom/trailer

Your Highness *

Genre: Comedy

Rating: R

Director: David Gordon Green

Actors: Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman and James Franco

When Your Highness came out in theatres in April critics skewered it and audiences ignored it, making it a big flop for Oscar winner Natalie Portman and Oscar nominee James Franco and we can hardly disagree with that assessment now that it’s been released on DVD.

Set in medieval Europe, Thadeous (Danny McBride) is the slacker second son of the King and brother to the heroic first-born son Fabious (James Franco). When Fabious’ bride is kidnapped on her wedding day by a wizard the brothers set off on a quest to rescue her. The quest that the director and screenwriters try and make humorous is nothing more then a series of disjointed potty-mouthed jokes combined with stiff acting. Meant to be a spoof on the medieval fantasy-adventure genre of movies like the Lord of Rings trilogy, other than decent set designs and special effects, this movie is a waste of time and money. If people want to see a truly funny spoof of this movie genre I would recommend Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

To view the trailer visit: www.traileraddict.com/trailer/your-highness/trailer