Las Vegas. It’s known for its glitz, glamour and very bad decisions. It’s also known as a place where a lot of people get hitched. So, one would think that it’s a great place to begin a relationship, right? Not so much. But, that doesn’t stop the young and the young-at-heart from going strictly on impulse and tying the knot in Sin City.
In the script by writers Keith Merryman and David Newman (based on the novel: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey) Think Like a Man Too picks up two years later after our beloved characters have fallen in love. Think Like a Man Too opens on June 20.
Dominic (played by Michael Ealy) and Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) are still going strong in and out of the bedroom, despite external forces threatening to pull them apart. Jeremy (Jerry Ferrera) and Kristen (Gabrielle Union) are enjoying newlywed bliss and trying to make a baby; which is more like Kristen acting as drill sergeant to get Jeremy’s little guys to stand at attention. Zeke (Romany Malco) and Mya (Meagan Good) are having trouble in paradise just as they arrive to the city of sin and Zeke’s past keeps coming back to throw a drink in his face.
Bennett (Gary Owen) and his wife, Tish (Wendi McLendon Covey) are the boring couple who live in happily wedded, yet boring bliss. Michael (Terence Jenkins) and Candace (Regina Hall) are getting married and have invited their good friends to join them at Caesars Palace for their nuptials. And, rounding out this ragtag group are Cedric (Kevin Hart) on his 15th break from Gail (Wendy Williams) and Sonia (Lala Anthony), Mya’s best friend.
“People came to the first movie and fell in love,” said super-producer Will Packer, who tapped the previous film’s director, Tim Story, to direct the sequel. “Now we’ve got a unique opportunity to take those characters to a different place … in a more interesting backdrop.”
It doesn’t take a Clairvoyant to see that this group of friends is genuinely friendly on- and off-camera. The cast clearly had a great time making the film and the proof will be when audience members enjoy themselves watching this film. The fan favorite scene so far seems to be when the ladies hit the club and give their own karaoke rendition of Bell Biv DeVoe’s Poison as a music video, complete with a cameo from Ronnie DeVoe.
“You know, originally, we were supposed to sing [an En Vogue song] and when we landed in Vegas, they soon realized very quickly that we weren’t singers. So, we switched it to Poison, which was a great, great change,” said Anthony during an interview at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. “When that song comes on, even now, in the club everybody gets up and goes crazy.”
The ladies have way more fun during their bachelorette evening, despite some intentional sabotage from Michael’s mother, Ms. Loretta (Jenifer Lewis). But, Michael proves that mama’s boys can change for the better. Michael’s not the only character showing growth in this film, either.
“I don’t think he ever stopped being a dreamer,” said Ealy about Dominic, whose character was a struggling chef in the first film. “Dominic is now in that phase, where he has two more food trucks and he’s getting this great opportunity to be a sous chef, which will take him to the next level.”
Merryman and Newman decided to show how each character has grown in their relationships since the first film. The only character not fully fleshed out or even given a love interest is Sonia. Maybe the writers like Sonia being blissfully single during this couple's vacation. When asked about it, Anthony responded, jokingly: “I've been asking for a man! Hopefully [Think Like a Man Too] does good, we come back [for a third film], and I'll get a man.” It's about time we got to see the kind of man Sonia would go for, since she's so great at giving love advice, just like Anthony whose The Love Playbook is a New York Times bestseller.
In the meantime, Think Like a Man Too is in theaters and audiences can feel free to go to the movies and get lost in the opulence that is the locale and the obvious fun that is had by the cast. In response to what they wanted you readers to know, Anthony went on to say: “Think Like a Man Too is bigger, funnier than the first one, and a great time.”
Ealy seconded that by heralding the real reason most people go to the movies in the first place: “It’s a great escape from real life.”
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