Evolution Of A Man

since its debut, i haven’t been much of a noah’s arc fan. aside from the characters being black gay men, i really didn’t connect with any of them as people very much. so, when the decision was made to take the logo television series to the big screen, i asked, “what the hell for?”

the movie was released, here in new york, in late october. i wasn’t interested in going to see it (almost at all), however i really wanted to support the movement. after all, i am an individual, building a career in media, whose mission in life is to motivate, help, and inspire all members of the urban gay community to live their lives proudly, and without fear. “noah’s arc: jumping the broom” is a tremendous accomplishment for our community, and should be supported! so when a friend offered to go see it with me, i jumped at the opportunity.

dare i say it… i really liked it!

“jumping the broom” picks up on noah & wade’s romance and impending nuptials on a ferry boat headed to martha’s vineyard. in the first four minutes, serenaded by solange’s “sandcastle disco” (god, i love that song), we are reintroduced to the colorful and flamboyant cast of characters we have grown to love- noah and his questionable wardrobe; ricky and his trick of the day; chance and eddie; alex and his effervescence; and, finally, wade and his glorious sexy! from the jump (no pun intended), it becomes very obvious that we are in for a wild ride.

contrary to what i anticipated when taking my seat, “jumping the broom” is a movie that we all can be proud of! amidst the usual intermediate acting and “hey gur’” dialogue to which we’ve grown accustomed in the series; the movie tackles several issues of black gay love and relationships that, to date, no one else has had the balls to cover. most notable to me were a diatribe from wade on the mental and emotional complexities of being a masculine man falling for a more feminine or flamboyant one; and a well written conversation (also with wade) discussing the labels “top” and “bottom.”

the movie adopts a typical rushed wedding “are we really ready for this” formula; however, the aforementioned topics and adjoining hilarity from the black gay perspective is well worth the ticket cost. i came away from the movie ready to fall in love, a bit wiser about life and relationships, and very proud of my community. noah’s arc: jumping the broom is a hilarious, romantic, and, at times, thought-provoking movie that finally, in my opinion, earns the accolade series creator patrick ian polk has proclaimed from the beginning… groundbreaking!