Juwanna Mann

Juwanna Mann
Juwanna Mann promotional poster
Directed by	Jesse Vaughan
Produced by	James G. Robinson David C. Robinson Bill Gerber Steve Oedekerk
Written by	Bradley Allenstein
Starring	Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. Vivica A. Fox Kevin Pollak Tommy Davidson Kim Wayans Ginuwine J. Don Ferguson and Lil' Kim
Music by	Wendy & Lisa
Cinematography	Reynaldo Villalobos
Editing by	Seth Flaum
Studio	Morgan Creek
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	June 21, 2002 (USA)
Running time	91 min.
Language	English
Budget	$15,600,000 (estimated)

Juwanna Mann is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Jesse Vaughan. The movie stars Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Jamal Jeffries, a basketball star turned female impersonator after being banned from men's basketball. The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans, Ginuwine, and J. Don Ferguson. The movie is written by Bradley Allenstein and produced by Bill Gerber. The movie opened in theaters on June 21, 2002.

The movie was filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Charlotte Coliseum and the Independence Arena. The movie's soundtrack features music by Diana Ross, James Brown, Mystikal, Ginuwine, and Stevie Wonder.

Plot

Juwanna Mann follows the story of Jamal Jeffries (Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.), a basketball star whose undisciplined on-and-off-court antics have earned him a bad reputation in the basketball community. Jamal is suspended indefinitely after he strips naked in protest of being taken out of a game. His agent, Lorne Daniels (Kevin Pollak), is unsuccessful at finding him a new team, and cuts Jamal as a client. Jamal out of work, and lacking any other sort of skills, decides to dress up as a woman named "Juwanna Mann" to play for the Charlotte Banshees of the WUBA (fictional version of the WNBA). Jamal quickly becomes a star on the court, and his overall attitude changes drastically as well. He learns to play with a team rather than just himself. While becoming successful with the Banshees, Jamal also finds himself in a problematic relationship with his teammate Michelle (Vivica A. Fox), whom he has romantic feelings for but cannot act on because Michelle knows him only as her confidante, Juwanna. However, his cover is blown in a playoff game when Jamal decides to dunk the ball and shatters the backboard. In all the excitement Jamal loses his wig revealing that he is in fact Jamal Jeffries. The movie ends with Jamal Jeffries being reinstated into the UBA (fictional version of the NBA) thanks to the support of his former WUBA teammates, who vouch for him. Michelle gives him a championship ring and a kiss.

Cast

• Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Jamal Jefferies aka Juwanna Mann
• Vivica A. Fox as Michelle Langford
• Kevin Pollak as Lorne Daniels
• Ginuwine as Romeo
• Tommy Davidson as Puff Smokey Smoke
• J. Don Ferguson as UBA Referee
• Jenifer Lewis as Aunt Ruby
• Kim Wayans as Latisha Jansen
• Lil' Kim as Tina Parker

Reception

Juwanna Mann was not well-received by critics, earning a 9% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus is that "With its tired premise, Juwanna Mann's jokes fall flat.".

See also

• Cross-dressing in film and television

External links

• Official movie website (hosted by Warner Brothers)
• Juwanna Mann at the Internet Movie Database
• Juwanna Mann at AllRovi
• Juwanna Mann at Rotten Tomatoes
• Juwanna Mann at Box Office Mojo