Jumping the Broom

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Jumping the Broom is a film.

The plot is about two African-American families who live on opposite sides of the social circle and have to get together for a marriage in Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The Taylors are a downtown working-class family, whose matriarch Pam Taylor (Loretta Devine) is very upset when her son Jason (Laz Alonso) announces that he is getting married to Sabrina Watson at the last minute. Sabrina, who belongs to the Watsons, an uptown rich family led by Claudine Watson (Angela Bassett), and just as upset as Pam when her daughter Sabrina announces the marriage at the last minute.


Tropes used in Jumping the Broom include:
  • All-Star Cast: Paula Patton, Angela Bassett, Meagan Good, Romeo
  • California Doubling: Despite taking place in Martha's Vineyard, the movie was filmed in Nova Scotia.
  • Casanova: William Earl, who apparently has been married 3 times.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Malcolm.
  • Dysfunctional Family: The Watsons.
  • Ethnic Menial Labor: Inverted. Malcolm even comments on it, saying they must be rich if they're black and have white people working for them. Played straight with their Jamaican maid.
  • Everything Sounds Sexier in French: Jason tells Sabrina to say something to her in French, and she says "Please don't be mad, but we can't have sex on our honeymoon because I'll be having my time of the month."
  • Fan Service: For both genders in the scene where Blythe talks to the chef. She's wearing a bikini and he's wearing nothing but overalls.
  • Gratuitous French: Claudine, Geneva and Sabrina speak in French throughout the movie.In one scene Sabrina and Claudine start talking in French, and Shonda says "Are they trying to 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir' us?"
  • Hot Men At Work: There was no other reason for the chef to be outside in nothing but overalls catching fish.
  • Jerkass: Malcolm, who got way too jealous because Jason didn't make him the best man.
  • Let's Wait a While: Sabrina does this after waking up one day next to some guy who had another woman.
  • Likes Older Women: Sebastian (who is 20), who goes after Shonda (who is somewhere in her 40s).
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Sabrina's aunt Geneva is actually her mother.
  • Mistaken for Cheating: Mrs. Watson assumes her husband is fooling around with another woman. It turns out she's his financial adviser and that they're broke
  • The Mistress: Completely and utterly subverted. Mr. Watson is shown to be with a woman in a car saying, "We need to tell her", and it is later revealed to be about their finances.
  • Momma's Boy: Jason, or at least his mother sees him as this. Which leads into. . .
  • My Beloved Smother: Insists on taking Jason home to be examined by his pediatrician after he incurs a minor injury while playing football. Later, Jason reveals the reason that he didn't introduce Sabrina to her is because he knew she would drive her away as she had done to other women in his life and finally puts his foot down and tells her that him getting married doesn't mean that he's leaving her.
  • No Loves Intersect: Borderline Pair the Spares. Quite a few characters at least have a fling with another character.
  • Noodle Incident: Whatever happened in Mexico with Willie Earl.
  • Obnoxious In-Laws: The whole point of the movie.
  • Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Amy.
  • Parents Walk in At the Worst Time: Happens in the scene with the maid of honor and the chef. They are making out while he cooks something, and then the food burns, setting off the fire alarm.
  • Right Way, Wrong Way Pair: Happens with the best man and Malcolm after Jason and Sabrina have an argument.
  • Scenery Porn: There were a lot of scenes showing of the scenery in "Martha's Vineyard" (actually Nova Scotia).
  • Sorry, I'm a Hermaphrodite: The maid of honor tells Malcolm this to stop him from hitting on her. He says "I don't care what religion you are!"
  • Trailers Always Lie: The trailers made it sound like a comedy about uptown meeting downtown, when in reality the movie was more of a dramedy.
  • Uptown Girl: Sort of. Jason is more of a self-made person, whereas even though Sabrina has a high paying job, she came from money.