Jumping the Broom

Jumping the Broom is a 2011 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey E. Edmonds, Elizabeth Hunter, T. D. Jakes, Glendon Palmer, and Curtis Wallace. The title of the film is derived from the sometimes Black American tradition of bride and groom jumping over a ceremonial broom after being married. As historian Tyler D. Parry notes in Jumping the Broom: The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual, the film uses the broomstick wedding to explore the intersections of class, race, and culture in the United States, alongside the different conceptions that African Americans hold regarding the custom's relevance for Black matrimony in the 21st century. The film was shot in Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, Canada, standing in for Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the setting for the film. TriStar Pictures distributed the film in the United States on May 6, 2011. The film received mixed reviews with critics positively noting its cultural themes and well-selected cast, but criticized its tone, characterization, predictability, and screenplay.