"Noah’s Arc" Succeeds at Jumping to the Big Screen

However, the star of the comedic show here is Rodney Chester’s Alex. Chester has previously stated in interviews that he had no acting experience prior to Noah, so his embodiment of the sassy, sharp Alex is a perfect storm of Chester’s natural comedic timing combined with Polk‘s direction. Alex gets some of the biggest laughs in the movie, and Chester clearly relishes his court-jester role as he twirls, twists, and snaps his way into a wedding planning frenzy, spouting razor-sharp one-liners all along the way. The character of Alex can be grating to some, and there is no doubt that a little of him goes a long way, but in Jumping the Broom he truly is the film’s comedic pulse.

Alex (Rodney Chester)

The film isn’t without its flaws. As swoon-worthy as Jensen Atwood is, his Wade sometimes feels muted, and some of his dramatic scenes near the end come off as more petulant than angry. Some of his climactic confrontations with Noah and others lack the intensity that would make them truly pop.

Jensen Atwood (left) and Darryl Stephens

As stated earlier, much drama is packed into the movie, and this results in some of the dropped bombshells being wrapped up a bit too tidily in the pursuit of closure. However, these quibbles are minor in the grand scheme of what is ultimately a very enjoyable movie sure to give fans and newcomers alike exactly what they want.

Jumping the Broom seamlessly takes elements of the romantic comedy genre and marries them to unique characters, creating something that is at once comfortably familiar and thrillingly new. The fact that it also succeeds as a completely entertaining, smart, and funny movie is, well, just the icing on the wedding cake.