By Betsy Finklea
Oh, what a night! The stars shined brightly at the Marion Opera House on Saturday night, October 25th, as “The Love Doctor” movie, created, produced, and starred in by Marion’s own D.J. Rowell premiered in front of a huge crowd of supporters.
In addition to D.J. himself, Chandra Currelley-Young, who acts in the film and who has done extensive work with Tyler Perry; Jalen Mickey, who acts in the film; Dovie Majors, an executive producer; and Samantha Cruz, an executive producer, were all in attendance at the premiere.
The green carpet sparkled as VIP guests and those who received a golden ticket arrived and were greeted by D.J. and had the opportunity for pictures.
VIP guests also got to go backstage where they got a special thank you bag, an exclusive opportunity to mingle and ask questions of the cast and producers, and share a champagne toast prior to the screening of the film.
Then after a few jokes by a comedian, the movie was shown and to say the crowd loved it is an understatement. The movie is a romantic comedy about the search for love, connection, and second chances. The audience laughed and empathized with characters throughout the movie, which also stars T.C. Carson from “Living Single,” who also directed the movie, and Kellie Williams, who played Laura Winslow on “Family Matters.” When it was over, the crowd erupted in applause.
After the screening, members of the cast and the producers answered questions from the audience with one of the main questions being when is part two. Audience members also spoke about how proud they were of D.J. Rowell and his accomplishments, especially how he gives back to the community through the D.J. Rowell Foundation. He was presented an award for his good work and the cast and producers presented him with a framed Love Doctor movie poster. He was brought to tears by the appreciation shown to him by the crowd. He thanked everyone for their role in his success and for their support.
After the question and answer session, it was on to the after-party where the fun continued.
If you are looking for a fantastic romantic comedy to watch to start off your holiday season, “The Love Doctor,” is definitely the prescription. It debuts on November 4th on streaming platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon and later on AspireTV.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Betsy Finklea/The Dillon County News, LLC
