Hollywood talk show host Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) returns to his Georgia home for his parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Cultures clash between the big-city Roscoe and other family members. The culture clash becomes even more severe because of the presence of his upper-class fiancée, Bianca Kittles (Joy Bryant), who does not understand this family and feels superior to them.

Conflict: It Can Sneak Up on You
This sequence starts with Roscoe and his brother, Sheriff Otis Jenkins (Michael Clarke Duncan), carrying a tub of fish and ice from Monty’s butcher shop to Sheriff Jenkins’s pickup truck. It follows the baseball game during which Roscoe hit a ball that struck Mama Jenkins (Margaret Avery) in the head. This sequence ends after Sheriff Jenkins knocks out his brother.

1. This chapter defined conflict as “any situation in which incompatible goals, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors lead to disagreement or opposition between two or more parties.” Does the interaction in this film sequence show this definition in action? Give some examples from the sequence.
2. Does this film sequence show functional or dysfunctional conflict? Give some examples from the sequence.
3. Which conflict management style best fits the behavior shown in this film sequence? Give some examples from the sequence.