classy romantic comedy about african american that neither deal drug nor go on booty call be unusual fare for hollywood in the pre tyler perry era . wait to exhale ( 1995 ) chart this change of attitude in the depiction of black that catch on in late movie like soul food and eve bayou and love jones and and the wood . director malcolm d. lee witty and sophisticated and but dramatically well round yarn the best man be the late to capitalize on this trend . despite some profanity and raunchy sexual allusion and the best man endorse marriage and fidelity and religious value . nobody get shot and stabbed and or coke up the nose . the character qualify a intelligent and positive and upscale role model and stereotype appear conspicuously absent in this seriocomic account of a weekend college reunion before a classmate wedding . happily and the best man shun racism either a a political issue or a a narrative theme . actually and this lighthearted but occasionally down to earth comedy of error look and sound like something oscar wilde or george bernard shaw might have pen . the point be that the best man emerge a a polished mainstream comedy where the character be first and foremost people with all of the foible and frailty of mankind . a strong ensemble cast head by charismatic taye diggs and who win over audience in when stella get her groove back and distinguishes writer lee accomplish directorial debut . unlike his famous and more often controversial brother spike lee and malcolm stick to the story and avoids tangent . chicago author harper stewart ( taye diggs of go ) have just write his first novel . appropriately entitle unfinished business and stewart about to be publish story have be pick up by oprah winfrey book club . life couldn not be good for the novice novelist . the froth of harper success fizzle when he learn that his ex college flame and bet tv producer jordan armstrong ( nia long of friday ) have circulate an advance copy of his semi autobiographical effort among his close chum . when harper arrive in new york city for the weekend festivities surround the impending marriage of football star lance sullivan ( morris chestnut of half past dead ) and mia morgan ( monica calhoun of love and basketball ) and he find himself up to his ear in hot water . naturally and harper friend have peruse his novel . they bicker about who he use a model for his fictional character . thing come to a boil when lance suspect the bad . he believe that his sweetheart mia may have bed down with harper and the guy he choose to serve a his best man . reluctantly and harper confesses and and the once philander football star blacken his eye at their stag party and then threaten to throw him off the balcony . lance call off the wedding without warn mia and then storm out of the party . harper realize grimly that he must patch thing up . the next day everybody show up at the church in their fine garb and but poor mia have no idea why lance be tardy . the best man be the equivalent of terry mcmillan for guy . they form a closely knit group of friend who have achieve success of their own right after college . predictably and their reunion spark old rivalry and bitter jealousy . harper find himself in trouble long before he arrive in the big apple to celebrate with his friend . just a his publishing career be gain momentum and harper girlfriend goad him about a commitment that he balk at give . quentin ( terrence howard of iron man ) be a cynical career drifter who can not find a woman for himself but who doles out advice to julian murch ( harold perrineau and jr. and of the matrix reload ) about how to deal with his prima donna girlfriend shelby ( melissa de sousa of biker boyz ) . finally and lance have decide to settle down now that he have ink a $ 5 million contract to play for the new york giant . the best man tower a a four star romantic comedy in the tradition of the big chill with character who never get short changed and an end that be agreeably believable .