Baggage Claim

Bantucinema

Baggage Claim 7/10

By William Rivers

"The magic isn't in getting married, it's in staying married."

Baggage Claim, starring Paula Patton, is a much needed change on an overly cliché formula. This movie is very run of the mill, but it stands on a single thread that in my opinion, boosts it up above other interties in this tired genre.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love romantic comedies, and I love Paula Patton. I don't love airplanes all that much, but that's beside the point. Baggage Claim is a movie that reintroduces a message that I feel is severely lacking in today's media: love. Yeah, as obvious as that seems, you'd be hard pressed to find a film that actually preaches true love anymore. We live in a very jaded society; one that doesn't believe in the sanctity of marriage, greatly because so many of us never stay married anymore. I don't think that this is inherently bad, but I am a romantic at heart, and I would like to think that one day I will marry a beautiful woman and spend the rest of my life making her every day a marvelous dream of love and care. I want that for myself, and I have seen it happen, so I believe it can. Too many movies go into the prospect of love with that doubt hanging overhead the entire time. We have a lot of movies about sex. We have a lot of movies about women ditching one man, to claim her independence, then reluctantly falling for the very next guy, who she shunned at first, but soon came to find endearing for his patriarchal persistence and disregard for her independence. We have a lot of movies about people going on a million dates in a few weeks for some frivolous reason. We really don't have films that are about a woman who is doing what she wants, regardless of social standards, simply because she wants to. We don't have many films about the purpose of marriage, and how it is more than just a night of fun, but is a commitment between two people who truly intend on doing the work it takes to stay together. Rarely do we such this message anymore, and I can greatly admire Baggage Claim (A, by all other accounts, subpar romantic comedy) for doing something different for once.

What's wrong with a woman wanting a man if she is doing it for herself?

As I said, while the message of this film is great and extremely different for this day in age, the rest of Baggage Claim's elements aren't all that new. We have a pretty interesting cast here for a film of this type. Giants like Jill Scott and Taye Diggs star as supporting characters to Paula Patton, who also has a decently prestigious resume. It's not every day that a hit or miss comedy has a cast of such well known actors, and it does pay off. The comedy, while not groundbreaking, will bring you some laughs. Most of those laughs come from the supporting cast, rather than our lead. Patton is a great lead character for the film, but the few times where she is really supposed to hold a comedic scene, she really isn't all that funny. Jill Scott and Adam Brody star as Montana's (Patton) friends, and they have very nice comedic chemistry. I must say that Jill Scott is a goddess, and can play literally any character she pleases, even one so intensely opposite of our lead. Her introduction sequence had me rolling. She plays the "promiscuous best friend" role very well without ever degrading herself, and I respect both her and the writers for never losing sight of the film's message of empowerment through choice.

The other supporting characters in need of mention, such as Derek Luke, Trey Songz, Dijimon Hounsou, and Tia Mowry, did decent jobs in their roles, but could be considered a bit over the top at times. This is certainly true for Jenifer Lewis, who plays Montana's mother, but we honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

Baggage Claim is no stranger to classic film clichés and tropes. There is a pretty forced love scene that is shot more like an R&B music video than a screenplay. There are all of the Black comedy tropes that you'd expect, such as the loud eccentric black dude, and the fact that upper/middle class Black folks can't seems to sit and talk without a crystal glass of wine in their hand. There is an especially large foreshadowing element, that I won't spoil here, but couldn't be more obvious if it was written on the character's shirt. (Let's just say, she finds Mr. Wright)

This film is no stranger to cinema cheese, but it still a good time. Like I said, this movie is pretty run of the mill as far as plot goes, but shines when it comes to its theme. I really enjoy this movie, and even though it isn't getting a perfect score, it is one that I look forward to watching any time I happen to catch it. It truly is a film worth checking out, if only to get a little taste of something you haven't seen in a long time.