In 1999, Malcolm D. Lee’s The Best Man debuted in theatres. Inspired by the film, The Big Chill, Lee’s film aimed to portray a group of educated, upwardly mobile African American friends who gather for an upcoming wedding and deal with long-dormant secrets and betrayals. The film was revolutionary for its time. It elevated black characters beyond the stereotypes and cliches that permeated their portrayal in most media.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters allows fans to spend eight final hours with the characters and the franchise as it brings the story of Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) and his college friends to a close.

The Best Man & The Best Man Holiday Recap

The original film introduced us to Taye Diggs’s Harper Stewart. A talented and suave young writer whose debut novel is on the verge of making a big splash in the publishing world. He reunites with his college friends to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun). We’re introduced to the rest of the friend group as the film goes on: Nia Long’s ambitious and career driven, Jordan. Terrence Howard as the mischievous musician, Quentin. Melissa De Sousa as the bossy and stuck-up, Shelby. Harold Perrineau as Shelby’s long-suffering boyfriend, Julian, affectionately referred to as Murch by his friends. Harper’s girlfriend, Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), is also introduced.

Harper spends the film trying to keep a copy of his novel, Unfinished Business, out of the hands of Lance. Although it’s a work of fiction, the entire group is aware that the novel is based on their college exploits and that each of the main characters corresponds to one of them. Lance does ultimately get his hands on the book and discovers the devastating betrayal Harper has been trying to keep secret: Harper and the bride-to-be, Mia, slept together behind Lance’s back in college.

After a predictable amount of drama, the characters make amends and the wedding proceeds as planned.

2013’s The Best Man Holiday follows up with the characters years later. Harper and Robyn are married and expecting a baby. Lance and Mia are now the proud parents of four beautiful children, and Lance is preparing to retire from his successful football career. Shelby has a daughter and is the breakout star of a Real Housewives tv show. Julian is now married to Candace (Regina Hall) who he met at Lance’s bachelor party. Quentin is a successful businessman and playboy; and Jordan continues to move up the ladder is the media world as a successful producer.

Harper is struggling with writer’s block and has recently been left from his position at NYU when his literary agent suggest he write an autobiography about Lance. Although the two are still friends, they’re not as close as they once were after the events of the first film. Coincidentally, Mia has invited the gang to spend a weekend celebrating the Christmas holiday together. Once again, drama ensues as secrets and lies threaten to destroy various relationships. The group comes together when it’s revealed that Mia has cancer that is quickly progressing.

The group of friends ultimately mend fences and say goodbye to Mia, who passes away by the end of the film. The movie ends on a cliffhanger when Quentin reveals that he’s getting married and wants Harper to be his best man.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

The first two episodes pick up in 2015 as the gang prepares for Quentin’s wedding. From there, it jumps to 2022 where most of the action takes place. Harper’s debut novel, Unfinished Business, has been optioned for film and threatens to dredge up old memories for everyone involved. The characters deal with various issues throughout the series such as racism, rebellious children, aging parents, and the fallout of the pandemic. Through it all, the tight knit group are there for each other.

Harper and Robyn struggle as his renewed success begins to take precedence over the wellbeing of his family. Julian and Candace deal with balancing work and higher education with taking care of their kids. Julian, who has never been as traditionally masculine as the rest of his male friends, has an interesting arc that has him being resentful of his portrayal in the “Unfinished Business” film and determined to become more assertive and tough. Candace’s arc of returning to school for a Ph. D and dealing with the unwanted advances of her male mentor shines a light on the egregious harassment many women deal with from influential men.

Lance struggles to make peace with his wife’s death, the reality of raising his children as a single father and accepting the fact that one of his children identifies as non-binary. Shelby is determined to move past her Real Housewives fame but struggles to find success beyond it. Quentin struggles with keeping his business afloat and taking care of his ailing father.

The entire cast easily slip back into their respective roles. It was a joy to spend eight episodes with them instead of the usual ninety minutes. Harper has always been the de facto protagonist of the first film; however, the 2013 sequel and tv show do an excellent job of fleshing out the rest of the characters. The show’s female cast benefits from this the most. Watching Jordan, Candace, and Robyn be flawed and ambitious is one of the best parts of the show. The only female character who gets the short end of the stick here in Shelby. She has a lot to do during the first two episodes, but largely takes a backseat in the latter half of the season with the exception of one episode or so.

There’s one pairing in particular that has been foreshadowed since the 1999 film. It was hinted at again in the sequel and is finally brought to fruition in the tv show. Given the character’s tumultuous history, watching them love and support each other is sweet and one of my favorite parts of the show. I won’t spoil it here, but fans of the films will know what pairing I’m referring to by the end of the second episode.

There’s another relationship that ends on a very bittersweet note. The show realistically shows that people sometimes grow apart, and I feel like the end of this relationship and the couple’s ultimate incompatibility has been foreshadowed since the first film and had its tensions even in the sequel. It’ll be interesting to see how fans react to this breakup.

Final Thoughts

The TV show realistically brings this group of characters full circle and their stories to a satisfactory conclusion. I love that Malcolm D. Lee has taken his time over almost two decades giving us impactful and moving stories with this cast and their characters, instead of cranking out sequel after sequel. This story feels well thought out and you can tell that the creator and the cast care a great deal about this story and worked hard to give this franchise the closure it deserves.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters brings the franchise to a triumphant and meaningful conclusion.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters is available to stream on Peacock.