I didn't even realize that Trista was played by the always wonderful Regina Hall until the end of this mediocre film.It's always a vow being made in such films that within a year,something must happen. That appears to be the theme in so many Lifetime productions and this one is no different.Three black professional ladies seem to be going nowhere in their pursuit of the great institution of marriage so they take the vow that they will be married or engaged by the next new year's eve.Of course, there are trials and tribulations along the way- disastrous dates, mild coronary, wrong matched men, but of course, we always have a way of finding solutions to all these problems. Typical fanfare.

*This review may contain spoilers.*SynopsisWith This Ring's cast is packed full of some of our favorites. Led by Regina Hall, the multi-talented cast includes Steven Bishop (BET's Being Mary Jane), Brian White (CBS's Hostages), Brooklyn Sudano (ABC's My Wife and Kids) and is rounded out with Jill Scott (R&B powerhouse, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married) and Eve (former Rapper turned actress from the self titled series UPN's "Eve"). The movie could have easily been called, the Vow but yeah, that was taken :). Friends for life Trista (Hall), Viviane (Scott) and Amaya (Copper) have the world at their fingers tips but are missing that one special guy. The ladies have learned that the struggle is real when it comes to finding a life partner who not only measures up but is also worth all the hard work. Happiness seems to elude them as they attend yet another friends wedding, embodying the old adage, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride". Whether it's the elusive guy, the married guy or just not-the- right guy these ladies have had a tough time in their relationships. Encouraged by the click of the clock, the trio decides to take fate into their own hands, vowing to become wedded within one year, whether its to Mr.Right or to "that guy".Its Tough Out ThereWith this Ring is a story about the realities of dating that sistas of all flavors have to deal with on some level. Akin to that of "Sex in the City" it explores what can happen when you don't keep desperation at bay. But is it really this bad? Is it to the point where are our only options are to hook up with past loves that have dogged us, steal someones man or to lower our standards if we want to find mates? And in the end, is it worth that to keep a vow to the girls? Is that really the road to fulfillment or is there something more? These questions are answered in the same comedic hilarity that we've come to know and love from this crew of actresses and actors.Trista, is a working girl who is (almost) living her dream in every aspect except having a hubby-to-be. Viviane is a single mother, struggling to get her baby's father to notice her. Amaya is out to win her man away from his wife. Elise is the single ladies' "newly married friend" that is trying to find herself in her new union. Frustrations with themselves and the man market lead them to the vow which promises to bind them in eternal bliss no matter what. Steven Bishop plays Nate, Tristas co-worker out to best her at every turn and delivers the same sort of charm that we always get from him, a sexy cleverness coupled with grown man swagger.I feel the movie hits dead on when it comes to the harsh, yet very real topic of dating. These sassy and successful ladies learned what we all have to at one point or another - that you have to come to terms with yourself before you can truly unite with another. Lifetime managed to pull together a great cast delivering a cute tale of friendship and love, and still managed to bring the real answer. Happiness doesn't rest in another. It's in you and once you get that right, your eyes might see what has actually been in front of you the whole time.It's a great movie for the girls and an easy watch, almost guaranteed to make you laugh, giggle and toss a side eye or two - it might also make you rethink some of your own internal business.***Spoilers***My favorite scene was probably the read that surprise cast member Gabrielle Union (playing as "wife" Kitty) gave to Amaya when she crashed a party at her lovers house. Kitty tells her what every wife on the planet wishes they had the opportunity to tell mistresses before they get involved with husbands. "...remind yourself - he will never leave her, this will never be my house, this will never be my wedding ring and you will never have my life." Loved it!I also really like the fact that the girls have a married friend. I mean really how many single ladies ONLY have single friends. Elise has just as many struggles being married as her friends do trying to get there and I'm glad they didn't shy away from it.It was good to see both Eve and Jill Scott in a role that only asked for their acting talent. Though I love to hear both rock the mic, it was nice to see them as "actresses".

This movie is funny, real and full of good acting. I'd like to see more of Regina Hall and Jill Scott in the movies. Stephen Bishop is definitely hot! Many young black professionals are delaying marriage. It's heartbreaking to see what they have to go through to get a spouse after sacrificing having meaningful relationships, in order to achieve their career goals. The men she dated in this movie are not too far from the truth, especially the devious ones who appear to be decent and attractive on the outside, but are full of dishonest, evil intentions on the inside. My favourite part of this movie was when she looked in the mirror at the end to utter her vow to herself. The main message here is be true to yourself, and do not compromise! A great movie for women everywhere. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

"With This Ring" is essentially a modern-day equivalent of a "race" movie from the 1930's and 1940's in that the character leads are all Black and they seem to move in a hermetically sealed world where they're able to socialize exclusively with other Black people and almost never encounter anyone white. Lifetime promoted this one heavily on the basis of the gimmick that the three female leads — talent agent Trista (Regina Hall), gossip columnist Viviane (Jill Scott — the great soul singer, probably the best "belter" between Aretha Franklin and Jennifer Hudson, is used in a role that doesn't allow her to sing!) and aspiring actress Amaya (played by someone billed on IMDb.com only as "Eve") — make a pact on the New Year's Eve their friend Elise (Brooklyn Sudano) is being married and decide that within the year all three of them will tie the knot, either to someone they've met during that time or, if they can't find a suitable man, to the not particularly exciting but good-enough men they're dating. At the start of the film Trista is having a sexual quickie with Damon (Brian White), whom she's broken up with but still gets together with for hot times even though she doesn't consider him marriage material. Viviane has a troubled relationship with Sean (Jason George) — they're not a couple anymore but they're stuck with each other because they have a son and are at least trying to be responsible parents and both take an interest in the boy's life — and Amaya is dating a married man named Keith and trying to get him to leave his wife for her.Alas, writer-director Nzingha Stewart (bearing one of those oddball first names that's either genuinely African or a jumble of letters either she or her parents concocted to sound African) doesn't do as much with this story as she could have, veering between light-hearted romantic comedy and drama and not doing either particularly well. It's a film of moments rather than a totality, and most of the best moments involve Amaya: she makes an appearance dressed as a catfish for a commercial advertising a Black-oriented fast-food outlet; the shoot required her to do 10 takes in which she bit into a foul-tasting catfish sandwich and had to pretend this was the best-tasting fare in the world. "With This Ring" seems in part to be a propaganda piece aimed at encouraging upper-middle-class Black women to look for upper-middle-class Black men instead of dating white guys — they do exist, Stewart seems to be telling her sisters — and it's also one of those how-far-we've-come films in that it shows that African-American actors definitely have equal access to the same screenwriters' cliché bank as white ones, but it's not a great movie and it's hardly the good clean dirty fun it could have been!