Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball
Film poster
Directed by	Gina Prince-Bythewood
Produced by	Andrew Z. Davis Cynthia Guidry Spike Lee Jay Stern Sam Kitt
Written by	Gina Prince-Bythewood
Starring	Sanaa Lathan Omar Epps Dennis Haysbert Debbi Morgan Alfre Woodard
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Cinematography	Reynaldo Villalobos
Editing by	Terilyn A. Shropshire
Studio	40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	April 21, 2000 (2000-04-21)
Running time	124 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$27,728,118

Love & Basketball is a 2000 American romantic drama film, written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. This film stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. It is the story of two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, California who grew up loving basketball and, eventually, each other.

Plot

The film spans roughly thirteen years of friendship between childhood sweethearts Monica Wright and Quincy McCall. The film is split into four quarters; in the first, Monica and her family move to Los Angeles in 1981 from Atlanta, Georgia and become acquainted with their new neighbors the McCalls, a wealthy family due to Quincy's father Zeke being the shooting guard for the San Diego Clippers. Quincy and Monica are drawn to each other and share a passion of basketball. Quincy is shocked a girl loves basketball as much as he does and is more shocked of her ability. Although their first interaction results in Quincy angrily knocking her down during a game and accidentally scarring her face, they share their first kiss on the first day of school, after Quincy asks Monica to be his girlfriend.This relationship is short lived, once Quincy wants to treat Monica as hid dad treats his mother

The second quarter begins in 1988 when both Monica and Quincy are the respective leaders of their high school teams. Scouts have taken clear notice of Quincy, who many see as one of top prospects in the country. His popularity is evident on the court as well with several girls who attend his school. He still maintains a friendship with Monica. Monica, on the other hand struggles with her fiery emotions on the court, which hinders her career to a point where scouts turn away from her. She struggles with the emotions she secretly still harbors for Quincy and how to express them when he is always surrounded by other girls. Eventually, Monica learns to control her emotions and leads her team to the state championship game, but does not lead them to a victory.

She recovers from the loss with the help of her older sister, Lena, who gives her a makeover and finds an attractive college friend Jason to take her to the spring dance. Confident with a new look, Monica shows up, and despite having a date of his own, Quincy comes to compliment her new appearance but does not hesitate to comment on her date. They are both visibly jealous and part ways. Later that night, they speak outside her window and reveal to each other how their dates did not meet their needs. She lets him know that she has a letter from USC and insists he opens it. After the letter reveals that she has been accepted, he finally vocalizes that USC was also his choice. As they move in to congratulate each other with a hug, Monica mistakes the gesture as a kiss. Later that evening, the two have sex with each other in Monica's bed.

The third quarter follows Quincy and Monica during their freshman year at USC, where they manage themselves as athletes, students, and a couple. While Quincy finds instant success on the court, as well as more female admirers, Monica struggles for playing time. Her relationship with Quincy becomes strained as he struggles to deal with the media attention surrounding a paternity suit against his father, filed by a former lover. Quincy feels betrayed by his father for lying to him and threatens to leave school early for the NBA. Monica finally earns the starting point guard spot at the end of the season. However, Quincy believes that she didn't pay enough attention to him while he was having problems with his father's infidelity. With all of the things going on in Quincy's life he decides to break up with Monica and join the NBA draft.

The fourth quarter takes place during the early 1990s, a few years before the establishment of the WNBA. Monica's prospects for professional basketball lie exclusively in the International Women's Basketball Association, while Quincy realizes his dream of playing for the NBA. Monica settles into her new life in Barcelona, Spain as a local sports celebrity and the focal point of her team's offense. She misses home but can't imagine a life that did not include basketball. She leads her team to a championship game. Despite personal success, she realizes she lost of love of basketball. Meanwhile, Quincy is now in his fifth year in the pros after leaving USC after his freshman season. A career journeyman and reserve, he finds himself trying to find a role with the Los Angeles Lakers. He gets playing time but injures himself during a slam dunk. His now divorced parents attend to him at the hospital. Monica hears about Quincy's injury and flies home to see him. After she learns that Quincy is engaged and meets his fiancée, Kyra, she realizes that she is still in love with him.

Over the next few months, Quincy undergoes rehabilitation while the day of his wedding draws closer. By this time, Monica has decided to give up basketball, and when Quincy asks why she states that it is no longer fun for her. Quincy tells her he never knew anyone who loved basketball as much as she did. Later on, he and Monica meet up once again as friends and reminisce over their shared past. At this point, Quincy has recovered from his injury, and Monica finally steps up with an ultimatum. She challenges him to one final game on the court: if he loses, he calls off the wedding and chooses Monica; if not, he marries his fiancée. Quincy agrees and beats her in the game, but can no longer be apart from Monica and chooses her. The film fast-forwards to 1998. Monica has gone pro in the WNBA as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks. She has married Quincy and uses the surname Wright-McCall. The film ends with Quincy helping their baby daughter to cheer on Monica as she is introduced at a Sparks game.

Cast

Sanaa Lathan (left) and Omar Epps (right) are the two main characters of the film.

Cast and crew adapted from AllRovi.

• Sanna Lathan as Monica Wright
• Omar Epps as Quincy McCall
• Alfre Woodard as Camille Wright
• Dennis Haysbert as Zeke McCall, Quincy's father
• Debbi Morgan as Mona McCall, Quincy's mother
• Harry J. Lenix as Nathan Wright
• Kyla Pratt as Young Monica
• Glenndon Chatman as Young Quincy
• Boris Kodjoe as Jason
• Gabrielle Union as Shawnee
• Monica Calhoun as Kerry

Crew

• Gina Prince-Bythewood – director and screenwriter
• Sam Kitt – producer
• Spike Lee – producer
• Reynaldo Villalobos – cinematographer
• Terence Blanchard – composer (music score)
• Terilyn A. Shropshire – editor
• Jeffrey Howard – production designer
• Andrew Z. Davis – executive producer
• Cynthia Guidry – executive producer
• Jay Stern – executive producer
• Ruth E. Carter – costume designer
• Dolby Digital – sound and sound design
• Aisha Coley – casting

Soundtrack

Main article: Love & Basketball (soundtrack)

Love & Basketball is the soundtrack to the film, released April 18, 2000, on New Line Records. Production for the album came from several recording artists, including Raphael Saadiq, Angie Stone, Zapp, and Steve "Silk" Hurley. In the US, the album peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Stacia Proefrock of Allmusic gave the album a three-of-five star review, saying "Songs like MeShell Ndege'ocello's 'Fool of Me' help punctuate this story of childhood friends who love each other almost as much as they love the game of basketball. Other highlights of the soundtrack include songs from MC Lyte, Al Green, and Rufus."

Release

Love & Basketball was released in the United States on April 21, 2000.

Reception

Reviews

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(70/100)
Rotten Tomatoes	(82/100)
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllRovi
Chicago Sun-Times
Dallas Observer	(unfavorable)
Entertainment Weekly	(A-)
New York Post	(mixed)
The Washington Post	(favorable)

Love & Basketball received generally favorable from film critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 70, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable". At Rotten Tomatoes, which is similar to Metacritic, the film received an aggregated score of 82%, based on 87 reviews stating, "Confident directing and acting deliver an insightful look at young athletes." Film reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave Love & Basketball an A- review. She enjoyed how the film portrayed women's sports in general and says "The speed and wiliness of the game itself ensure that movies about men who shoot hoops are exciting, but the novelty of watching women bring their own physical grace to the contest is a turn-on." Schwarzbaum also appreciated Prince-Bythewood's directing skills, claiming "[She] is also vigilant and honest about the hard sacrifices made in pursuit of sexual equality. And for that, she scores big in her first pro game."

Rachel Deahl of AllRovi gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. In her review she complemented Epps' and Latham's performance, and said, "Love & Basketball serves as a somber reminder of how few films exist (much less love stories, much less ones that focus on the female perspective) about multi-dimensional African-American characters outside the ghetto." Film critic Desson Howe of The Washington Post's Entertainment Guide wrote, "Love and Basketball had moments of such tenderness and sophistication, complimented [sic] by such romantic dreaminess between lead performers Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. First-time filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood's film joins such films as The Best Man and The Wood, which look for the class, not the crass, in African American life." Howe gave the film a favorable review.

New York Post film critic Jonathan Foreman gave the film a mixed review; he appreciated how the film "effectively conveys the excitement of basketball from a player's point of view", but says it's filled with fake-sounding dialogue you only find in the cheesiest TV movies." Roger Ebert, film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, says "The film is not as taut as it could have been, but I prefer its emotional perception to the pumped-up sports clichés I was sort of expecting. It's about the pressures of being a star athlete; the whole life, not the game highlights. I'm not sure I quite believe the final shot, though. I think the girl suits up for the sequel." Ebert gave the film three out of four stars. Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer gave the film a negative review, saying, "[it] is a film built upon transitions so weak and obvious it's astonishing the entire thing doesn't collapse on itself. You want to root for it, as you would any rookie underdog, but it offers nothing to cheer for." He also elaborates on the bad acting, stating "Omar Epps possesses a chiseled body and a blank stare [...] Lathan is only slightly better, but she's stuck in a hollow role."

Box office

Love & Basketball was released in North America on April 21, 2000 to 1,237 theaters. It grossed $3,176,000 its first day and ending its North American weekend with $8,139,180, which was the second-highest grossing movie of the April 21–23, 2000 weekend, only behind U-571. Love & Basketball grossed $27,459,615 in the United States, which is ninth all-time for a basketball film and thirty-seventh all-time for a sports drama. The film grossed $27,728,118 worldwide; $268,503 (1%) was grossed outside of the United States.

Awards

BET Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2001	Sanna Lathan	Best Actress	Won

Black Reel Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2001	Love & Basketball	Best Film	Won
	Love & Basketball	Best Film Poster	Won
	Love & Basketball	Best Soundtrack	Won
	Sanaa Lathan	Theatrical – Best Actress	Won
	Gina Prince-Bythewood	Theatrical – Best Director	Won
	"Fool of Me" (Meshell Ndegeocello)	Best Song	Won

Humanitas Prize

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2000	Love & Basketball	Sundance Film Category	Won

Independent Spirit Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2000	Gina Prince-Bythewood	Best First Screenplay	Won

Key Art Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2001	D. Stevens	Best Drama Poster	Won

NAACP Image Award

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2001	Sanaa Lathan	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture	Won
	Alfre Woodard	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Won

References

General

• Prince-Bythewood, Gina (Director) (2000). Love & Basketball (DVD). Los Angeles, CA: New Line Cinema. 

Specific

External links

• Official website