Entertaining Criticism: The Best Man Holiday

     After 14 years, the long-awaited sequel to The Best Man is finally here! The Best Man Holiday released Nov. 15 bringing in $30.6 million from the box office.

     Prepare to cry, sing, laugh and dance as your favorite characters reprise their roles in this dramedy.

     In case you forgot, that includes main character Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), his wife Robin (Sanaa Lathan), and best friends Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), Julian Murch (Harold Perrineau) and Quentin Spivey (Terrence Howard). Murch's feisty ex-girlfriend Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), stripper-turned-housewife Candace (Regina Hall) and Sullivan's demure wife Mia (Monica Calhoun) return as well.

     Fifteen years have passed and Mia and Lance invite the estranged group to their home for a Christmas party.

     Everyone reluctantly accepts, leading to reignited feuds and abounding romance.

     There is no shortage of drama in The Best Man Holiday, and it is certainly a tear jerker.

     Luckily, the film's sad moments are balanced by comedic relief, innuendo and all the good fun provided in the first installment.

     The Best Man Holiday has received mixed reviews.

     On movie-rating site Rottentomatoes.com, it was rated 66 percent by critics and 93 percent by audiences.

     There has been controversy involving the film's target audience.

     Rather than rightfully classifying the movie as a romantic comedy, USA Today released this headline on Twitter when The Best Man Holiday challenged Thor: The Dark World during its opening weekend: "Holiday' Nearly Beat 'Thor' as Race-Themed Films Soar."

     If you find that offensive, check out what the headline was changed to moments later, "Holiday' Nearly Beats 'Thor' as Ethnically Diverse Films Soar."

     This is truly ignorance at its best.

     And that's not all; here's a snippet of the accompanying article, "[The Best Man Holiday] was marketed specifically to African-American women. [The Best Man] Holiday collected $30.6 million, more than twice what many analysts projected."

     The article mentioned other films starring "predominantly Black casts" and described The Butler as "the box-office surprise of the summer."

     So I guess it's a complete shock when films prosper that feature Black actors?

     The article caused mayhem after its release, with @ZerlinaMaxwell tweeting, "What the heck is a race themed movie? What do they call movies starring white people? Oh. Movies. #usatodayfail."

     Despite this ongoing dispute, The Best Man Holiday is a great film for all, except children of course. The film has an R-rating.

     Catch The Best Man Holiday in theaters now.