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“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>In the sneak previews, commercials and promotional footage for the film many have pegged as the next “big, black blockbuster,” the story is a tale of a two families from different walks of life and hilarity that ensues because of their differences.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But according to leading actors in the all-star cast of
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Jumping The Broom moves far beyond the melodramatics of clashing personalities and social class.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Paula Patton and Laz Alonso believe black film fans will go in expecting a hoot – but will leave with a sense of hope and the desire to return to a time when romance trumped empty and impersonal lust.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Recently in music and in film, we saw the emergence of sex replacing romance,” Alonso said. “It’s something that society has been focused on the past few years – and actually, we put a little more importance on sex than it really deserves.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>With T.D. Jakes (pastor of the Potter’s House mega-ministries) serving as producer, the chances that Jumping the Broom would follow the trend of mainstream obscenity were slim to zero.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But that’s not to say that the film – directed by Salim Akil – doesn’t grapple with the realities of dating in this day and age.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The story begins with Miranda – a woman who, after a series of meaningless relationships that are little more than sexual relations, asks God to send the man he feels is best for her.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Sabrina Watson is a hopeless romantic – she falls in love easily,” Patton said. “And she’s definitely made some wrong decisions about men.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Miranda literally runs into Alonso’s character Jason, and as they grow in their relationship she is compelled and inspired to go about love the right way.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This film is not passing judgment on anybody,” Patton assures. “It shows that we are all human and make mistakes, but at the end of the day the movie illustrates that part of love is about loving yourself and knowing that you don’t need to give anything away.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As Jason and Miranda continue with their journey towards holy matrimony, a clash of the matriarchs and a blend between the bride and groom-to-be’s family add a few speed bumps leading up to their walk down the aisle.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Mike Epps, Megan Good, Pooch Hall, Romeo Miller and Tasha Thomas are just some of the ensemble that add comic relief through conflict to a story that in the end is all about love and family.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“When I read the script, I loved it,” Alonso said. “I thought it was a great romantic comedy and immediately knew I had to do it.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jumping the Broom “font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>marks the first leap into romantic leads for Alonso and Patton.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I look back on my childhood and what led me to want to become an actor,” said Alonso. “And while we all love action films, the movies that stand out in my head were the romantic comedies like
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Boomerang “mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Coming to America that that brought my family together and helped us laugh, cry and be inspired to love.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Both Alonso and Patton hope to make audiences laugh, but the lingering message that resonates among viewers is one of good, old-fashioned romance coupled with the power of faith.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“What’s most important about this movie is the love – and the hope,” Alonso said. “The center of the connection between Jason and Miranda is not a sexual one. It is the love that is experienced between them. It shows what to do when you do find a woman who has everything that you are looking for and speaks to you – spiritually, mentally and intellectually. You are going to spend the rest of your life with her. This film reminds us if you put love first, everything else has a chance to fall into place.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jumping The Broom opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, May 6. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 101 minutes.
