Review of Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom (2008) by Ceph J — 29 Sep 2009

If you're gay, gay-friendly, or open, you might like this film--a "Sex and the City" for African-American gays. I confess that I never liked the tv series (watched it on dvd) but the movie is heartwarming which makes you smile at some of the forced lines. The charcters are likable but stereotypical and the screenplay tries to be funny but is too preachy.

Noah (Darryl Stephens) is getting married to Wade (Jensen Atwood) so he invites his friends to the wedding at a Martha's Vineyard house in MA. It's never explained why Wade has no friends on his own, even for a closeted gay. For some reason, everyone is in love with Noah (Noah's Arc?) and I can't see why because Noah is a boring character and the actor, Stephens, is very limited in the role. Both he and, Wade, his fiancee are too wooden to spark audience interest. Ricky (Christian Vincent) is more sexier and funnier so I was more interested in this character. Another subplot involves Ricky's date for the weekend, 19-year-old Brandon (played adroitly by Gary LeRoi Gray); his scenes are fresh compared with the stereotypes of the older gay characters. The women characters are also poorly written (2 mothers and a fag hag). I assume fans of the tv series will eat up this movie.

It's wonderful to see a small, independent film tell a linear story and try to tackle issues of gay marriage and relationships. Supposedly, at the end, all the issues are resolved. Is life this simple? Don't bet on it. But, you can bet that this movie keeps on ticking even when Noah is threatening to make the audience yawn.