# Baggage Claim (film)
**Baggage Claim** is a 2013 American romantic comedy directed and written by David E. Talbert, based on his novel of the same name, starring [Paula Patton](https://www.edgepedia.org/paula-patton) as a flight attendant who has 30 days to get engaged before her youngest sister's wedding.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/baggage-claim) • [2](https://thesource.com/2013/09/23/sits-down-with-director-david-e-talbert/) It was released theatrically in the United States on September 27, 2013, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/baggage-claim)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | September 27, 2013 (theatrical, Fox Searchlight); February 4, 2014 (home video)[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/baggage-claim) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim) |
| Director and writer | David E. Talbert, adapted from his own novel[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/baggage-claim) • [2](https://thesource.com/2013/09/23/sits-down-with-director-david-e-talbert/) |
| Premise | Flight attendant Montana Moore has 30 days and more than 30,000 miles of travel to find a fiancé before her sister's wedding[4](https://www.searchlightpictures.com/baggageclaim) |
| Lead cast | Paula Patton, Derek Luke, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott, Boris Kodjoe, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Jenifer Lewis[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim) |
| Box office | $21,569,509 domestic; $22,885,836 worldwide, against an $8.5 million production budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim) |
| Critical reception | 17% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (84 reviews); Metascore 34 on Metacritic[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baggage-claim/) |
| Rating and runtime | PG-13 (sexual content and some language); 96 minutes[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Montana Moore (Paula Patton) is a flight attendant who has traveled the world without finding a man she wants to settle down with. With her sister's wedding approaching and pressure from her mother Catherine ([Jenifer Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenifer-lewis)), who has been married five times, she gives herself a month to find a fiancé.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim) • [7](https://www.filmfestivaltraveler.com/film-arts/21-reviews/2564-film-review-baggage-claim)
Her best friends and fellow flight attendants Gail (Jill Scott) and Sam ([Adam Brody](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-brody)) use their airline connections to arrange "accidental" meetings between Montana and her ex-boyfriends as she flies around the country, racking up more than 30,000 miles.[4](https://www.searchlightpictures.com/baggageclaim) The exes include Damon Diesel ([Trey Songz](https://www.edgepedia.org/trey-songz)), a music star; Langston Jefferson Battle III ([Taye Diggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/taye-diggs)), a lawyer running for Congress; and Quinton Jamison (Djimon Hounsou), a wealthy businessman.[8](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/baggage-claim) The story ends with Montana realizing that the right man, her friend William Wright (Derek Luke), was closer than she thought.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim)
## Production
Talbert, a playwright making his second feature film after *First Sunday* (2008), wrote the story about ten years before release and began developing it as a film about five years before.[2](https://thesource.com/2013/09/23/sits-down-with-director-david-e-talbert/) • [9](https://thejasminebrand.com/2013/09/24/david-e-talbert-talks-new-film-baggage-claim-how-attending-an-hbcu-shaped-his-career/) He said the book was inspired by eavesdropping on his wife's phone conversation with a friend who had visited a man in Chicago for Thanksgiving.[2](https://thesource.com/2013/09/23/sits-down-with-director-david-e-talbert/)
Paula Patton and Taye Diggs were Talbert's first choices for their roles, with Jenifer Lewis his first choice for the mother; the film was moderately budgeted and Talbert said much of the cast worked as favors.[9](https://thejasminebrand.com/2013/09/24/david-e-talbert-talks-new-film-baggage-claim-how-attending-an-hbcu-shaped-his-career/) The Numbers lists the production budget as $8.5 million, with the film opening in 2,027 theaters.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim)
## Reception
**Box office.** The film grossed $21,569,509 domestically and $1,316,327 internationally, for a worldwide total of $22,885,836, about 2.7 times its production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim) Its opening weekend of $9,031,102 accounted for 41.9 percent of the total domestic gross.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim)
**Critics.** The film received largely negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 17% Tomatometer from 84 reviews, with a critics consensus that it "hits the same notes as a number of successful romantic comedies without establishing much personality of its own"; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 48 percent from more than 10,000 ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 34, labeled generally unfavorable, based on 27 critic reviews.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baggage-claim/) Reviewers criticized the film's reliance on genre conventions: The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called it "eerily uninteresting" and noted its use of the standard romcom supporting-friend pairing,[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/10/baggage-claim-review) while TheWrap's review described it as a "woefully outdated look at the challenges of finding true love" and compared it to *What's Your Number*.[11](https://www.thewrap.com/baggage-claim-review/) The Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "promotes painfully outdated social mores."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baggage-claim/) Common Sense Media likewise noted criticism of the film's view of love and marriage, while observing a positive message that marriage is more than a wedding day.[12](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/baggage-claim)
## Context in 2013 black cinema
Talbert placed the film within what he called a renaissance of black films released in 2013, alongside *The Best Man Holiday*, *The Butler*, *Black Nativity*, and *Fruitvale Station*, saying the wave was driven by good stories with good actors who happen to be black.[13](https://thegrio.com/2013/07/19/director-david-e-talbert-talks-baggage-claim-this-year-feels-like-a-renaissance-for-black-films/) • [9](https://thejasminebrand.com/2013/09/24/david-e-talbert-talks-new-film-baggage-claim-how-attending-an-hbcu-shaped-his-career/)
## Availability
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 4, 2014, by Fox Home Entertainment; estimated physical disc sales total about $5.05 million.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim) As of late 2026 it can be rented or purchased digitally on platforms including Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home, with rentals starting at $3.99 in the United States.[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/baggage-claim)
## References
1. [Baggage Claim, 20th Century Studios](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/baggage-claim)
2. [We Sit Down With Director David E. Talbert, The Source](https://thesource.com/2013/09/23/sits-down-with-director-david-e-talbert/)
3. [Baggage Claim (2013) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Baggage-Claim)
4. [Baggage Claim, Searchlight Pictures](https://www.searchlightpictures.com/baggageclaim)
5. [Baggage Claim, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baggage_claim)
6. [Baggage Claim Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baggage-claim/)
7. [Film Review: "Baggage Claim", Film Festival Traveler](https://www.filmfestivaltraveler.com/film-arts/21-reviews/2564-film-review-baggage-claim)
8. [Baggage Claim (2013) kijken, waarkanikdatkijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/baggage-claim)
9. [David E. Talbert Talks New Film 'Baggage Claim', theJasmineBRAND](https://thejasminebrand.com/2013/09/24/david-e-talbert-talks-new-film-baggage-claim-how-attending-an-hbcu-shaped-his-career/)
10. [Baggage Claim – review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/10/baggage-claim-review)
11. ['Baggage Claim' Review, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/baggage-claim-review/)
12. [Baggage Claim Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/baggage-claim)
13. [Director David E. Talbert talks 'Baggage Claim', theGrio](https://thegrio.com/2013/07/19/director-david-e-talbert-talks-baggage-claim-this-year-feels-like-a-renaissance-for-black-films/)
14. [Baggage Claim streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/baggage-claim)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Aviation history, people, and culture › Aviation in arts and culture › Aviation in film and television › Dramatic films set on airplanes and about flying*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license