On the One

Just saw this at the 9th annual American Black Film Festival in Miami, and really enjoyed this -- good acting all round, funny, family-friendly, and beautiful cinematography as well. Harlem's historic and contemporary cultural vibrancy is nicely worked into the scenes (in one scene, Zulu courts a young woman who works at the Studio Museum of Harlem, where they talk in front of Kara Walker's silhouette paintings).

It's an accessible mainstream-type comedy with a lead actor who might be the next Denzel Washington (he's certainly handsome enough, as is the actor who plays his brother).

There's a theme of redemption at work here. Two brothers, one a hip-hop star called Zulu and the other the Baptist preacher at a Harlem church, have had conflict in their relationship for years, but when Zulu's life is endangered as the result of a contract dispute with a record company owner, they have to work through their problems and help each other. The minister brother's church is losing membership and has become stagnant, but Zulu's presence attracts curious teens and Zulu revitalizes the gospel choir. Each brother finds a way to help the other. Lots of entertaining secondary characters, light violence, some sexually suggestive humor (akin to what you might see on many broadcast TV shows).