Love & Basketball (2000)

This is the story of Monica and Quincy who both grow up next door to each other in Southern California, apparently enamored of two things: the game of basketball and each other.  And as they grow up, they both develop into excellent basketball players and we also watch as their relationship develops.  Omar Epps (Higher Learning, Juice) eventually plays Quincy who is the son of a retired pro basketball player (Dennis Heysbert) and has aspirations of following in his father's footsteps.  And Sanaa Lathan (Brown Sugar, Alien Vs. Predator) eventually plays Monica who is trying to develop into a pro basketball player despite her mother's (Alfre Woodard) concerns about there being no future in it.  What results is both a love story and sports drama which spans over fifteen years and has built quite up a devoted following since it was first released in the Spring of 2000 to solid reviews and box office.  What better time to review this beloved basketball drama directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) than JUST in time for March Madness? :) 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

LOVE & BASKETBALL

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

Starring Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Chris Warren, Kyla Pratt, Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Glenndon Chatman, Jess Willard, Naykia Harris, Harry Lennix, Debbi Morgan, Gabrielle Union, Tyra Banks, and Dennis Haysbert

Genre: Romantic Sports Drama (Audio clip)

What first-time director Gina Prince-Blythwood (The Woman King, The Old Guard) was trying to accomplish here was damn tricky. It's a both a romantic drama and a sports drama spanning about 15 years where the two leads not only fall in love while playing the same sport but also have divergent arcs to their individual career trajectories a la A Star Is Born....we're rooting for both of them to succeed, we're rooting for them to stay together, AND we know all along that there's no way they can stay together if they BOTH succeed. 🫣 How do you pull off something like that while feeling true to both the sport and romance....while also ending on a satisfying note? 

Well if you're Prince-Blythewood, you also construct a tight screenplay which is structured in four quarters (childhood, high school, college, pro) to keep things moving JUST briskly enough to effectively show the passage of time while also still giving each of your leads enough time to breathe. They get exciting courtside scenes, a couple of memorable love scenes (strip one-on-one, sure....but PG-13?), and a few choice side characters (mainly their parents) to provide them with enough contrivances to complicate matters, also leaving the opportunities for some emotional dialogue scenes between parent and child. Whew! It's THAT easy huh? :) 

Not particularly because all of this falls apart if you also don't have a strong enough cast. 😮 The two leads are Monica played by then up-and-comer Sanaa Lathan and Quincy played by then peak-Omar Epps....and fortunately they are each pitch-perfect as two suburban LA neighbor kids who both love basketball....and eventually each other. Both actors were then in their late '20's and while it IS admittedly a stretch to see each playing high school students, it helps the overall story because these two not only look convincing on the basketball court but also have fantastic chemistry! 

Monica is a determined tomboy with a chip on her soldier as she knows off the bat (in the pre-WNBA days) that her chances of playing American pro-ball are slim....who also has a disapproving housewife mother (Alfre Woodard) who was never comfortable with her daughter being an athlete. Meanwhile, Quincy is a brash star athlete with a recently retired NBA star father (Dennis Haysbert) who is giving off sketchy vibes and seems to be headed for a big fall. 🙄 No these aren't exactly original character tropes and we can KIND of see where things are headed plot-wise but once again, strong casting makes the difference as does straightforward writing.  Both Haysbert and Woodard were already seasoned pros by this point and could pull of a lot of character work with minimal screentime.

No scene nor monologue goes on too long to belabor the point...in most cases, these characters simply state how they feel and that's more than enough when you have SUCH expressive faces as Sanaa's and Omar's. You 100% buy when these two are wistful, jealous, confounded, goody, and/or simply hot for each other. :)  Young love is just so difficult to pull off on-screen....as is a compelling sports drama. Fortunately all of the pieces were in place for this one to succeed on both frronts

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Now about those aforementioned love scenes….their whole relationship would not be as believable without both leads nailing (pun intended) an earlier scene of their first night alone together, still as teenagers. The way they look at each other awkwardly as they're taking their clothes off....the playful nervousness especially on Epp's face as you can tell how just hard his Quincy is trying to be "cool" when he's clearly not. 😜 It’s a sequence which is handled about as delicately as you can under a PG-13 rating….and what helps nail it the most is the choice of needle-drop.  Overhead, we hear a LOVELY cover of the Kate Bush ‘80’s ballad, “This Woman’s Work” – great song – but THIS time by Brooklyn’s OWN soul virtuoso with the smooth falsetto voice…MAXWELL. (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Alfre Woodard….wow, feels like I have grown up with her as she has just become one of THE most reliable character actors of the past 40+ years.  She’s won an Emmy, been nominated for an Oscar, is rarely the lead, but wow….I could lose count of just HOW many times she has appeared in a film for just a few scenes and left her mark.  She’s one of our ultimate utility players and she pulls that off here as Camille, Monica’s mother – they have a couple of strong heart-to-hearts towards the end of the film but I always could have used a BIT more of her earlier in the movie to provide more context for their relationship.  It’s a small quibble for sure because she still does the most with what she’s given here. (Audio clip) 

And…sorry to get a bit political here but as most of it is cleverly embedded within the narrative, this movie still does have QUITE a bit to say about class, race, gender, and sports.  The writer/director used to play basketball and her passion for the sport pervades every aspect of the film, resulting in what I believe is a feature length love letter to the WNBA….which is still necessary today sadly.  Bottom line one message which resonates JUST as much today as it did in 2000: if you claim to support Women’s sports, then WATCH women’s sports, PROMOTE women’s sports, and ADVOCATE for women’s sports to be treated on par with men’s sports.  If you’re not doing those things  but you’re one of THOSE online who throws a tantrum every time you perceive of something which is occurring in SUCH miniscule numbers that it’s clearly more of a dog-whistle towards intolerance of something else…..then you’re NOT supporting women’s sports, you’re just using women’s sports to push another agenda.  There was even a recently released “comedy” which tried to do JUST that….cough cough….LadyBALLERS….know the difference, rant over. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now I HAD mentioned an earlier sequence when they’re both in collage and play a little strip one-on-one….and that’s admittedly a fun, HOT scene….I would even call it one of THE great love scenes, even though it’s PG-13. (Audio clip) 

HOWEVER that would still not be the best sequence in this movie as far as I’m concerned….no my choice (and the obvious one if we’re honest) would be the climactic sequence at the end of the movie which that sets up.  And the CRAZY thing is that upon first watch, I can remember this feeling as if it sorta rips off a similar one-on-one sequence from two years prior from a film directed by the PRODUCER of this movie, Spike Lee….He Got Game.  Yes that all important game between Denzel’s Jake Shuttlesworth and his son Jesus played by Ray Allen.  It’s a great sequence with not only a ton of emotional weight but some good game played as well… (Audio clip) 

Spike produced this movie, apparently Gina had been working on the screen play for years….so who knows, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.  Because THIS version of that scene is actually much better.  Quincy and Monica are both back home in California now grown adults staying at their childhood homes.  Monica comes over to wake him up and have a talk….an important talk….he’s getting married in two weeks….but she can now admit something critical….and there’s a key LINE here which could have been SO cheesy if not for just how elegantly Lathan delivers it…yeah you know the one….(Audio clip) 

And so they play….and it’s about as a tense and emotionally charged as basketball (or ANY sport) portrayed on-screen can be.  Just shot beautifully and acted with pitch-perfect notes….not the least of which is the expression on Epp’s face towards the end as we can see Quincy has found his game again, he’s taken the lead and he KNOWS he about to defeat Monica….he’s angry about this situation of course…but we can see how over the course of just a few dribbles as he’s looking back at her and how TERRIFIED she is of losing….HE loves and he knows it.  Right after he sinks that last shot, Quincy’s ego briefly takes over as utters his own iconic line which of course sets up the title….but then turns it around with this next line….they then kiss and embrace.  Powerhouse stuff! (Audio clip)   

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Indeed powerhouse stuff fueled by two fantastic lead performances but it just would not succeed overall if not for strong direction AND fantastic writing.  As a first-time director, Prince-Bythewood does what she needs to do…the film looks good, moves well, and never wears out its welcome.  There ARE a few clunky editing choices and like I said previously, I wish a couple of actors were utilized a bit more….but like I said, first-time director here.  

On the other hand, the structure of this screenplay and the dialogue are simply unassailable – it’s assembled in four quarters and LIKE in a real pro-basketball game, that FINAL quarter feels the longest…as it should.  As demonstrated with her recent acclaimed hit The Woman King, we can see that Gina’s directing chops would only get better but fortunately, he writing acumen didn’t need to.  Therefore first for delivering one of THE most well-written love stories AND sports dramas of the 21st century, Gina Prince Bythewood is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

What better way to commemorate the beginnings of March Madness AND Women’s History Month by revisiting this modern classic…..and yes as far as I’m concerned, it’s up there among basketball movies too.  Probably Top Five for me, likely behind previous episode White Men Can’t Jump and slightly ahead of previous episodes Blue Chips and High Flying Bird.  Happy 25th Anniversary to one of the basketball films of all time! 

Streaming on Apple TV & Max

And that ends another ONE-ON-ONE review!