Best Man

Streaming video - 1997

The second installment in the “Best Boy” trilogy, Best Man, was released in 1997, twenty years after Best Boy. Best Man picks up the thread of Philly's story when he is 70 years old and shows how he has not only survived, but thrived in the independent environment he found at the end of Best Boy.. Still living in the same group home, Philly is supported by the staff there, the staff at his day center, the friends with whom he now lives, and the ongoing love he receives from his sister, Frances. Whether it be at his day center, in his Jewish cultural activities or at inter-group-home dances and events, it is also clear that his social life and interpersonal relationships have improved greatly.. There is no event in Jewish culture mo...re significant than becoming Bar Mitzvah, the ceremony that marks the transition from boy to man. At the end of this film, Philly finally engages in this rite of passage, which he fully embraces and, perhaps, understands in a way most of us never will.. Over the course of Best Man, we see that Philly has emerged as someone who can identify his wants and needs and communicate them to those who support him. Those around him appear to be enriched by his presence as well.. At last, Philly has found his place in the world.. more