Barnes & Noble

This refreshingly offbeat love story -- allegedly based on the life of Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Brown -- revolves around the game of basketball and the stabilizing influence it exerts on a pair of friends whose lengthy, erratic relationship ultimately blossoms into romance. Sanaa Lathan, a fresh, beguiling screen presence, plays Monica, a female basketball player with unusual talent and the drive to match. Omar Epps as Quincy, the gifted but cocky son of a fading Los Angeles Clippers star (Dennis Haysbert), initially ridicules her ambition. Eventually, though, he comes to realize that this is one young woman who's determined to get what she goes after. First as friendly rivals growing up in Los Angeles in the early '80s, then as lovers at USC and in the disparate worlds of men's and women's professional basketball, Epps's and Lathan's relationship has a definite ring of naturalness; so, too, does the film's adoring image of basketball as both a maker and breaker of hearts. (No surprise: New York Knicks fan No. 1 Spike Lee was one of the producers.) Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood makes Lathan a likable, believable young woman for whom every audience can cheer. Epps, whose character is more edgy, veers close to the unsympathetic at several points, but ultimately convinces us that he's worthy of Lathan's energies. Unflinchingly contemporary in tone and presentation, Love & Basketball also shares the warm, uplifting feel of the screen's most popular romantic dramas. In short, it's a slam-dunk. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. They've followed the game all their lives and have no small amount of talent on the court. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball. Love and Basketball was the first feature film for writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who previously helmed several comedy specials for Dave Chappelle. Spike Lee co-produced. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 794043506420
• Source: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:07:00
• Sales Rank: 1,103

Features:

DVD MENU