LOVE,
AND OTHER FOUR LETTER WORDS
By
Jacqueline Monahan
Jacqueline
Monahan is an English tutor for the GEAR UP program at
UNLV. She is also a consultant for Columbia College
Chicago in Adjunct Faculty Affairs.
jaxn8r@msn.com
A cynic’s dream title, this romantic comedy set in Chicago relies upon the
age-old plot device of a dying wish of an elderly relative to place our
heroine, morning talk-show host, Stormy LaRue (Tangi Miller) into a
predicament as phony as a house of cards.
Stormy’s successful show has just been nationally syndicated. She’s a
work-obsessed, Type-A personality with no time for relationships, with an
assistant/best friend Roxanne (Essence Atkins) and a predatory producer
Carrie (Mary Linda Phillips) who would love to have Stormy’s job. When a
call from Aunt Gigi (Juanita Jennings) notifies her that her grandmother’s
death is imminent, Stormy flies to Montgomery, Alabama to see a hospitalized
“Nana” (Aloma Wright) ailing from septic poisoning due to a hole in her
intestine. A stuttering doctor (Steven Hack) informs her that Nana has only
one week to live. Nothing like having to wait for bad news from a
sputtering, hesitant medical professional.
Nana has only one regret, and that is that she won’t live long enough to see
her “favorite grandbaby” have a family of her own. Code word: get a man.
Where have we heard that before? A woman without a man cannot be expected to
be complete, so extreme measures must be taken to pair up the unfortunate
female with some guy, any guy so that the appearance is not one of (gasp)
spinsterhood: that living death, like a big fat grade of “F” on a woman’s
report card of life experiences.
Stormy concocts a fictional engagement and wedding on the spot for Nana’s
benefit, to take place in six weeks. The old woman is happy for the moment
and Stormy believes she has given comfort to the dying, with no way to get
caught in her lie. That would not be any fun, now would it? Complications
abound, starting with Nana’s miraculous recovery, Roxanne’s bright idea
about videotaping Stormy’s fictional wedding, the procurement of a fake
groom, male stripper Rene (Marcus Patrick) and the appearance of Preacher
Arnold Peterson (Flex Alexander) a former childhood friend. Do I have to
tell you that the Preacher is now model-gorgeous and has always had a crush
on Stormy?
Nana is eighty years old and has never left Alabama, so Stormy makes the
sham marriage take place in Chicago to prevent an in-person appearance, but
Nana’s newfound health allows her to travel, so she’s coming. Add to this
two snoopy cousins who are jealous of Stormy: Lucille (Tasha Smith) and
Frida (Sandy Brown). They live to discredit her to Nana and are hot on the
trail of her fake fiancé and strange behavior. When everyone converges on
the Windy City for Stormy’s wedding day, there are plenty of misconceptions
still in place.
Most of the cast is good looking to the point of fashion layout potential. I
forgive the over-abundance of eye candy, for without that, American
audiences seem to forget that there is potential to love based on other
characteristics.
Tangi Miller, also one of the film’s producers, can be overly dramatic as
the aptly named Stormy LaRue, but brings a believable devotion to her
performance that makes her irrational actions understandable more often than
not. Essence Atkins is a delight to watch as the upbeat, ever-optimistic
assistant with a can-do attitude. Flex Alexander’s Preacher can give the
male stripper a run for his money as the good looking Man of God. Marcus
Patrick as the money hungry stripper is perfect as the one-note piece of
meat with a price for everything. Aloma Wright’s Nana is just as intrusive
as she should be without overstepping her relationship with her beloved
granddaughter.
Special kudos to Tasha Smith and Sandy Brown as Stormy’s troublemaking
cousins. These two steal every single scene they’re in, keeping any overly
sentimental moments at bay. A movie based solely on these two characters
would find an enthusiastic audience of its own.
Director Steven Ayromlooi (Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood) showcases Chicago’s
famous skyline and several recognizable locations (Millennium Park, The
Loop). Also shot on location in Montgomery, Alabama, the film has a
polished, scenic quality that makes locations look like they are idealized
postcard compositions. Ayromlooi avoids slapstick situations (there are some
in the strip club, though) in favor of humor thrust through serious emotion
and filtered through ridiculous circumstances.
Writer Mandel Howard’s (The Other Brother) sophomore effort relies heavily
on a formula plot that you can see on the horizon without binoculars, but he
infuses his characters with smart, humorous words and actions that can
distract you on the familiar journey enough to find that you’re having a
good time. Who doesn’t love a wedding? I’ll leave you to discover whether
this one turns out to be real or fake – both four letter words themselves.
