Best man holiday

How it works

The title names a movie. College friends gather at Christmas after years apart. Rivalries and old romances return in a house over the holiday. Universal Pictures released it in the United States on 15 November 2013. The rating is R. The tone mixes comedy, argument, and grief. It is a holiday movie in the sense that Christmas is the occasion, not in the sense that banks close.

The first film, The Best Man, was a wedding story. This one is a Christmas story with the same circle of friends. You do not need the 1999 film to follow the plot, but the later film assumes you know who stood where at that wedding. Harper was the best man then. The new title keeps that role in the name while moving the party from a reception to a December house.

People searching best man holiday characters want the returning cast, not a list of civic dates. Treat the page as a film guide. If you wanted the duties of a best man at a wedding, that is a different job: rings, a speech, and a schedule. This title is the sequel.

The characters

Most of the 1999 principals return. Lance Sullivan, a professional football player, and his wife Mia host. Harper Stewart, a novelist, arrives with Robyn. Jordan Armstrong is a television journalist. Quentin, often called Q, is the unmarried friend who says the blunt thing. Julian “Murch” Murchison and Candace are married with children. Shelby is back as well. Brian is Jordan's boyfriend in this chapter.

Taye Diggs as Harper Stewart Morris Chestnut as Lance Sullivan Monica Calhoun as Mia Sullivan Sanaa Lathan as Robyn Stewart Nia Long as Jordan Armstrong Terrence Howard as Quentin “Q” Spivey Harold Perrineau as Julian “Murch” Murchison

Regina Hall as Candace Melissa De Sousa as Shelby Eddie Cibrian as Brian The story puts private trouble under Christmas lights: money, illness, a book Harper has not been honest about, and the strain of a long friendship that never fully settled. The film later had another sequel, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, as a miniseries. If you are choosing what to watch for the holiday weekend, this 2013 picture is the Christmas chapter of that set.

The title sounds like time off for a groomsman. It is actually Christmas with people who already know your worst story.

Watching it as a Christmas film

It is a reunion picture first and a Santa picture second. There are decorations, a meal, a football game on the calendar, and the pressure of being in one house. It is not a children's movie. If you want a gentle house-swap romance, that is a different title. If you want the friend group from 1999 in December, this is the one.

Where to stream changes by country and by month. Use a current listings tool rather than a copied sentence from last year. Physical discs and digital purchase exist independently of any one service. Runtime listings vary slightly by cut; plan for about two hours. Watch the 1999 film first only if you care about the wedding's unfinished business. Watch this one first if you only need the Christmas night.