User Reviews

Paula Patton is so sweet and beautiful that it's difficult to not like any movie she's in. However, I found the premise in this rom-com fantasy to be so absurd that I couldn't get past it.

Patton portrays Montana Moore, a flight attendant for Trans Alliance Airlines. She's been a bridesmaid 9 times but never a bride, while her domineering and annoying mother Catherine (Jenifer Lewis) has already been married 5 times. She's constantly pressuring Montana to find a man to marry, and now that Montana's younger sister is engaged the pressure is ratcheted up even further.

So what's the game plan, so Montana can "get a man" in thirty days, by the time of her sister's engagement party? Why, of course it's to flag all of her ex-boyfriends who are flying for the holidays and match Montana up with their flights. For this she will get the help of her two friends and fellow flight attendants Gail and Sam, ably portrayed by Jill Scott and Adam Brody. At least, they provide some much need comic relief here.

Of all the "hunks" she will meet on these flights, I liked Taye Diggs the best as Langston, who's a smarmy and egotistical politician, and who still has a caveman mentality. While Montana is trying to meet all these potential suitors, she maintains a strong friendship with William (Derek Luke), whom she's known since elementary school and just happens to live next door to her in their apartment building.

As noted by a number of reviewers you can guess which way this film is going and it doesn't disappoint in that regard. Overall, this movie, written and directed by David E. Talbert, based on his book, despite some funny moments and a feel-good ending was way too contrived and predictable for my liking.

So many problems with this movie. I wanted to like it--I love so many of the stars in it, and some of them have done such AMAZING work in the past--but, alas, this one fell flat on many, many levels.

Plot/screenplay: Just awful. Just unrealistic and awful. For instance, Jill Scott's character is supposed "best friends" with Paula Patton's. In what world does a best friend NOT know you're dating someone for a few months? (This from a scenario near the start of the movie.) Juicy ridiculousness like this peppered the movie. I don't have time to list it all.

Acting: Unfortunately, this movie was built around Montana (Paula Patton). And she wasn't able to deliver. I like Patton; she's beautiful and has had acceptable performances in a few other movies she's been in. Her voice is amazing (I think she has a solid future in voiceovers). However, in this movie, she always seems forced and unnatural in front of the camera. Like, really bad. Like she's trying to act, but not managing to pull it off. And maybe this was because the screenplay was just. so. awful. that it would've been impossible for ANYONE to act well in it. All the other characters had better lines and were more realistic with solid performances.

Really, the movie wasn't funny, either, and had about five minutes of heartwarming endearments (scene reliving high school).

Don't waste your time. I wish I could say different.

Although predictable for me, because this so resembles aspects of my personal dating life, it was fun to watch a romantic comedy with an ensemble cast. I know personally I could relate a great deal to the storyline and I'm sure many other women, and some men, can as well. Many of us have had similar experiences in life; always seeking to make others proud of us based on their criteria of how we should live, not being fulfilled in our lives because we feel we need a spouse to be happy, overlooking the person who has been there for us through thick and thin, sending ourselves on searches for the "right" one for us because we believe they must exist, even going backwards to try again with those who didn't deserve us the first time. It happens. All of it. And it all happens in Baggage Claim. In the end, being able to make a decision for your own life and waking up to the love in front of you is the moral of the story. Whether you like the movie or not, or like Paula Patton or not, sometimes movies are made to make us think, not just for us to criticize. David E. Talbert was making several points in Baggage Claim, all of which someone, somewhere can benefit from and leave the theater with a smile, knowing they are not alone in their dating dilemmas.

Honestly, films like these I solely go see because they have a black majority casts, and they don't require trekking to a little theater in NYC which is hard to get to. But, while I like most of the people in the casts, no one in the film really has that name which on its own makes this a go to. The film features a lot of B-list celebrities known for their supporting roles in other features, be it Paula Patton's Mission Impossible role, or everyone else's role in some black film or TV shows you saw a while ago. Still, surprisingly they make for a good mix and bring in quite a few laughs.

To begin, we have Paula Patton's character Montana, who really is this sort of generic Reese Witherspoon type lead, with a tan. We follow her as she goes from man to man doing what her mom, Catherine (Jenifer Lewis), has done since her first husband died, minus marrying them. You see, like Catherine, Montana is searching for any semblance of love she can find and while she isn't as bad off as Barbara in Don Jon when it comes to her perception of romance, she does seem to be very much invested in the idea of the white picket fence dream where she has a husband, two kids and etc. Thing is, she is a flight attendant and doesn't have the best taste in men.

Most of the movie in fact deals with her remembering why she broke up with a lot of guys she has met. All of this is done through stalking the men, something usually guys do in films like this, and as you watch her remember why she isn't still with some of those guys, this leads to the comedic side of this romantic comedy. We begin with Graham (Boris Kodjoe) who has Montana as a mistress; Damon Diesel (Trey Songz) who maybe renowned, but relies on being Tia Mowry's mistress to get by; Taye Diggs' Langston is a Black Republican, which naturally means he is made to look bad; then you have Djimon Hounsou who plays a man named Quinton whose only issue is that he doesn't want to get married.

Now, there is one man I didn't mention and it is because I sort of liked and hated the relationship. Mr. William Wright (played by Derek Luke) I liked for his and Montana's relationship had 25+ years on it. They knew each other since elementary school and grew up together; went to prom together, though he with another date who left because she was jealous of Montana; and now they live across the hall from one another and have a bond which for most of the movie borders between brother and sister or potential lovers. Their relationship aside though, I must also praise Jill Scott. Those who know of Jill Scott know that she comes off very earthy and sweet, but her music is sometimes as naughty as you can get without getting a parental advisory label. In this film though, though she still maintains that sweetness most fans of her know, but she lets her sexy side out and is flirtatious, comical and for most of the movie seems to be one of the few with any type of sense despite how silly, and perhaps ghetto, she may seem. Let me also say, damn near the whole casts deliver at least one funny moment per character and, in Scott's case, sometimes per scene.

Which leads to me talking about the issues with this film. Personally, while Patton is cute, I just don't find her appealing as a lead since she doesn't make you feel attached, or perhaps it is better to say sympathetic, to Montana. The reason for this is, Montana seems to be in that weird mindset where she needs to have her life set by 30 and acts like without being married, or having the potential to get married, she isn't loved. We see this with how she handles Quinton who she has a conversation with all through the evening to the next morning, has everything she wants, but she can't deal with him not wanting to be married. Also, I am the type of person who likes seeing male and female friendships which can be platonic and though you from the start see William and Montana are end-game, you also wish that perhaps they could just be good friends and that is it. Most of all though, I have to say that while as a romantic comedy it was a decent movie, I just wish stalking would stop being a staple of these movies for that is how she finds all the men mentioned, outside of William. She has her co-workers find their flights and then rushes to get on them to "accidently," tee hee, pop up and reacquaint herself with the various men.

Overall: Either see it at Matinée prices or rent it

There is really no need to rush to see this movie. This is nowhere near the level of the Black romantic movies of the 90s/early 00s, and it isn't funny enough to make that a selling point either. And while I do like some of the points made dealing with how Montana is as much looking for love as stability, and how her mom, through 5 marriages, has always been trying to relive her first love, as a whole I don't think I would call this the type of movie I would want to pay all that much to see. It, in essence, is average and doesn't try new things or even explore the topic of African-Americans in relationships. It basically uses the standard formula of looking for love in all the wrong places, when the guy you need is right in front of you, but this time around there is a Black majority casts.

There are things I like about this film, and things I don't like. Derek Luke is terrific. He's a wonderful actor who should be getting more recognition. On the other hand, Paula Patton...well, I'm not so sure. There were scenes where I thought she was quite good, and other scenes where her acting simply seemed sloppy. Her biggest problem -- a sometimes annoying voice. I was not impressed with Ms. Patton.

The supporting cast here, though not "strong", was decent. I like Jenifer Lewis, who plays the mother here. I usually like Taye Diggs, but frankly, I felt this role was beneath him. It was interesting to see Trey Songz as a potential suitor here, but I was not particularly impressed. Also interesting to see Djimon Hounsou in a romantic role, although I feel he is better in serious roles. Adam Brody has a decent role here...nothing too deep, but pleasant.

The story...well, kinda pleasant, but maybe silly. A stewardess feels she needs to get married, and uses her ability to fly to look for husbands. While all the time the man who is meant for her, she is overlooking. Well, you know the ending.

To be honest, there's really only one reason to watch this film -- if you're a fan of Derek Luke.

What I've learned from the movie:

• I have to be married to be completed
• Men and Women can not be friends
• No matter how horrible my Family is, I should always be nice to them
• I can't speak out
• I should never gain some weight
• I am a disappointment to my family if I don't marry a men

For real: it's sadly one of the worst films I've ever seen. I wish could give this a better rating, cause I freaking loved the cast.