Customer Reviews

Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom + CD

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just finished watching the movie and it was FABULOUS. I would recommend getting the video at soon as it releases. I will be doing just that. Jumping the Broom was a great love story. It had all elements of a great movie. It was heart-warming, and funny, sad and a feel good movie. I have but two negative comments, the first being it was way to short and I would have loved more. Story lines could have developed into more but as it was it was GREAT. My next negative is where was WILSON CRUZ. Not having this final and important member to the movie was extremely DISAPPOINTING and would not have destroyed the story line. I will purchase this movie and I am going again to see it.

I love the series. I was frankly a little nervous that I wouldn't like the movie, but I shouldn't have been concerned. "Jumping" has all the warmth, humor, and love that the series had, just in a slightly different format and location.

Noah and Wade have evidently reconciled (since the series abruptly ended) and they and the boys have assembled (minus a couple characters) on Martha's Vineyard at Wade's family vacation home (an ocean-side mansion, of course) to celebrate their wedding. Whether they will actually tie the knot (or jump the broom) is anybody's guess, and they don't actually seem too sure about it either. Noah's friends don't help as they add their own flavors of sexual tension, jealousy, their own couples' problems, and a lot of snide comments. Add to that a new young guy just coming to grips with what being gay is all about and he acts as a catalyst for a lot of self-disclosure and good discussion amongst the characters.

My favorite scene-stealer is Noah's boss, the name-dropping diva who gets all the good lines along with "Curtis," aka "Baby Gap" who shows up in hopes of sweeping Noah off his feet.

The editing of this movie is tight and spot-on and there is hardly a moment that isn't packed with all the stuff you loved about the series. The characters have all aged well (i.e. they are smokin' hot) and seem to have had no trouble going back into their "Noah" characters.

It's funny, it's moving, and it feels real; it's a study in relationships and friendship, courtship and love. After seeing the movie, I have ordered the soundtrack. It would have been wise to order them together from the beginning. HIGHLY recommended. Enjoy.

Earlier this year, a big screen adaptation of Sex & The City was released. Actually, that's not true, a ninety minute advert for Products was released, with the characters from Sex & The City grafted on to make people watch.

Noah's Arc is often referred to - for better or worse - as a black, gay SATC. So, when I heard the news that the prematurely cancelled series would also be bursting onto cinema screens, I had my doubts. Television and film are very different beasts, and one doesn't necessarily translate into another. Just look at SATC - a depressing, cynical exercise in vulgar consumerism.

When Noah's Arc first appeared on our screens, it was unique: a show that wasn't about white gay men. It was Queer As Folk in colour, and funnier. The series suffered under the tyranny of network television censorship (that NA was as hot as it was is a miracle) and a miniscule running time. But it was bursting with heart and soul, and audiences fell in love with Noah, Ricky, Alex and Chance - not to mention their numerous sexy suitors.

Season two ended on a cliff-hanger, but with criminal disregard for the loyalty of the viewing audience, Logo cancelled the series, just when it was finding its feet.

Let's not be bitter, because we have something to celebrate. Noah and Wade are getting married! We might not have a Season 3 (yet), but we've got Jumping The Broom. So what happened after the car crash? Did Noah wake up and find Wade in the shower? Did the whole of season two not happen? Was it all a dream?

Don't be silly, kids. The movie is set at some point after the crash, which Wade survived. That's not a spoiler - he's all over the publicity photos, and Noah's Arc without Wade would be like SATC without Big. But what of Dre, I hear you cry! Well now, you'll just have to watch and see.

And what of Jumping The Broom?

It's a joy. A big, sexy, laugh out loud joy. There's smiles and frowns, and tears, and... er, Baby Gat (Jason Steed). Oh, Baby Gat. He's back, innit, full of bruvs and bluds, u get me. This one needs his own series. He lights up the screen and steals the show. I beg u, giv the boi his own show, innit. Brandy's (Jennia Fredrique) back too, bringing a lil fem to the table. Gary LeRoi Gray's Brandon is a refreshing addition to the clique. They're all welcome guests.

Only Gregory Kieth's Trey is missing in action, which is a real shame. His long-suffering relationship with Alex was always a pleasure to view. Don't worry, all is not lost - he puts in a welcome cameo via webcam, in a pleasing throwback to Season one. It's a shame we couldn't exchange Trey for Jonathan Julian's depressing Eddie. I'm not quite sure if it's the character, or if the actor isn't quite at home here, but Eddie just gets me down. At least in the series his appearances were kept to a minimum - but we're forced into close quarters with him here. But that's a small quibble. The truth of the matter is this movie is packed with so many "OMG - I can't believe he/they just did that!" moments that such minor shortcomings can be overlooked.

Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom is heartfelt, hilarious and packed with eye candy. This wedding cake has all the right ingredients.

Don't miss it, gur'.

As a huge fan of the original television series, I was taken aback by this melodramatic and stereotypical film adaptation. It's not to say that 'Jumping the Broom' completely loses the general appeal of the television show, but character continuation, nuance, and a solid plot is sacrificed for overblown plot devices, bad dialogue, and unbelievable scenarios.

Darryl Stephens (while I love him) seems to have been sleep-walking as 'Noah' in the film. Originally, 'Noah' was to 'Arc' as 'Carrie' was to 'Sex in the City', but in the film he's more like second-billing than the flagship. Stephens gives his character no presence, which wasn't the case during the television show.

The character of 'Wade' played by Jensen Atwood does a complete 180 in the film. During the T.V. series, 'Wade' was the hyper-masculine, bi-sexual type...in the film, certain apparel and actions the character wears are wholly different, and unexplained.
Rodney Chester as 'Alex' seems more the flagship of the group in the film, and Chester vividly brings his character to life (as always). But creator Patrik-Ian Polk didn't really give 'Alex' a lot of important things to do in the film. That coupled with the overblown, over-the-top (more so than even in the T.V. series) persona of 'Alex' in the film, is truly puzzling.

Lastly, Douglas Spearman as 'Chance' is what his character has always been, 'blah'. His subplot with "husband" 'Eddie' and pupil 'Brandon' is truly a waste of screen time. It's nonsensical, lame, anti-climatic, and unbelievable (when/if you see the film, the resolution between these characters is ridiculous). The actor who played 'Brandon' definitely needs work on his dramatic delivery. I know 'Jumping the Broom' wasn't aiming for any Oscar nominations, but I shouldn't be rolling my eyes during its most "dramatic" scenes either.

Beyond the characters I think 'Jumping the Broom' did a piss poor job of representing black, gay men in general. These characters are careless, promiscuous, they betray their friends in the worst possible ways (all resolved by the end of the film of course), and live life as if they were children. I won't divulge any further, because it would give the film away if I did.

Ian-Polk constructs the film like he would've the television show, one pratfall after another. One scene of melodrama, followed-by comic relief, followed-by more melodrama. That is the structure of the film for 1 1/2 hours, which can be frustrating for a viewer. It got to the point where I just began rolling my eyes when some major event occurred, because it was so unbelievable.

In closing, this film very much felt like a continuation of the SECOND season of 'Noah's Arc'...fans of the show will be aware that there is a distinct difference in quality between the first and second seasons of the show. The second season was full of recklessness, cheesy dialogue, poor plot, zero character development (I mean really, did 'Noah' grow-up at all during the second season?); these are all traits of the film.

Ian-Polk should have took a little more time...thought about plot, dialogue, and scenarios, because this was borderline embarrassing.

I'm co-signing with reviewer Tracey. Heterosexual female totally in love with Noah's Arc. I have season's 1 & 2 and cannot wait for the movie to come out! I wasn't able to view in theater's cuz it never came to my city. This show has something for everyone because their topics are so diverse and real, plus it deals with the day to day struggle of love like everybody else. I would also co-sign and say that my hubby is a homophobic but it's amazing that he always managed to come into the room while I was watching my discs and know every character and episode too, so I commend Mr. Polk's writing skills in opening minds to acceptance.

OMG!! i looooove noah and the girls, they are my boy toys!! i became and instant fan from day one so of course i ran to see the movie the first day it came out. i cant wait to add this dvd to my collection. WHERE IS SEASON THREE OF NOAHS ARK??? please bring it back!!

I am a straight SBF and I LOVE this movie. It has all of the heart, drama, wit and charm of the TV series times Ten. Now all we need is a new series about the couples! Ok..Logo I will settle for a movie sequel instead...But these characters can relate to all who search for love within ourselves and within our lives. You don't have to be gay or black to dig this story. You just have to be a romantic. An instant classic. Plus, the guys are all just sooo cute. How can you not love them!

As a completely heterosexual female, after viewing an episode of Noah's Arc on the LOGO channel, I was completely hooked. I had to go to see the movie by myself, being as though my husband is homophobic. I watch the reruns over and over again and have ordered the complete 1st and 2nd seasons on DVD through Amazon.com. I can't wait to receive them. I am also on the list to be notified when the movie, Jumping the broom, and the soundtrack become available.

I saw the two seasons and loved them. However, when I saw the first 10 minutes of this movie, I was bored to tears. The characters don't seem to be the same. I think that the writer should have done another season instead of a movie. This was terrible.

As a fan of the late, lamented Logo series, Noah's Arc, I approached this film with a little trepidation. The Logo series was wonderful, but the second season and the quickened plots indicated that Noah's Arc might not be long for this world. It wasn't. Of course, everybody I know watched it and loved it. We asked ourselves: why cancel a smart, sexy, worldly, funny and pertinent show about the ups and downs of a close-knit group of friends that we incorrectly assumed was a hit? Well, the gods of television are ruthless and unkind.

Then, they made a film. Would the charm of the series be able to translate onto the big screen? I can assuredly say "YES!" and then some!

The film picks up where the series left off, ties up a few loose ends and then goes on its merry way as Noah, Alex, Chance, and Ricky travel to Martha's Vineyard, MA, for Noah's wedding to Wade. Chance comes with Eddy. Ricky brings along a young student of Chance's named Brandon. Trey is back in CA taking care his and Alex's newly adopted HIV+ baby, OJ, but Trey shows up via webcam with OJ on Alex's laptop.

Thus the stage is set for what the gang hopes will be a celebratory weekend of love and friendship. Of course, everything that could go wrong does, in sometimes the most hilarious ways.

Baby Gat shows up unannounced and uninvited along with Brandy, Noah's boss, to throw a wrench in the works. Alex is determined to have the "perfect" gay wedding for Noah, popping OTC stimulants to keep the energy going; he then becomes even more rev'd up and imperious than he usually is as he merrily rolls on in his controlling, diva ways. Ricky quickly dumps his young companion, Brandon, and goes on the prowl locally for some anonymous sex, with unexpected results. Chance's and Eddie's relationship starts to show a few cracks and they realize that they may have to come to terms with some unpleasant truths. And Noah and Wade go through the pre-wedding jitters, with enough ups and downs and all-arounds to make a prospective groom's head spin. Toss in a couple of "coming out to the family" moments (one unplanned) and the stage is set for a difficult but ultimately revealing weekend for everyone.

All the actors shine as brightly, if not more so, than they did in the TV series. The acting is solid and one marvels at this ensemble cast that makes one believe that they really have been friends forever. There are subtle "teaching moments" here and there that are not preachy and mix right into the dialogue and action.

There are so many comic moments and there are many poignant insights into the complexities of love, friendship, the true meaning of family, self-realization, self-acceptance and long-term commitment.

Will Noah and Wade finally Wed? Will Chance and Eddie get back on track? Will Ricky come to terms with his promiscuity? Will Alex be able to give the perfect wedding? Will Baby Gat create his usual chaos and pandemonium?

No spoilers here. Just a recommendation that this film will not disappoint and, in fact, will entertain over and over again.

Now, if we can just get these guys back on television.....