Love and Basketball (2000)
"Honey, you can just save your fancy moves for the hardwood."
Starring: |
Starring |
Released By: |
Universal Studios |
Released In: |
2000 |
Rated: |
PG-13 |
Reviewed By: |
Adam Mast |
Grade: |
C+ |
Omar Epps and Sanna Lathan star in this sports romance that made its debut at The Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
In Love and Basketball, Epps (Higher Learning) and Lathan play life long friends who have a passion for basketball and, in their college years, develop a passion for each other.
Writer-Director Gina Prince-Blythewood makes a likable, if obvious, debut, in which she tries to parallel her characters lives on and off the court. "Is love more important than the game? Of course, as an audience member, the answer to that question is easier to come by.
Lathan gives a terrific performance as a tomboy who must refine her game and make that leap into womanhood. Epps is likable as the man in her life.The standout performances, however, come from Alfre Woodard (Grand Canyon) as Lathan's housekeeping mother, and Dennis Haysbert (Major League) as Epps' protective father who also happens to be an Ex Clipper.
Director Blythewood proves to be more interested in her characters than she is the game which sets this film apart from other sports movies. There is no climactic basketball sequence, but rather a sweet but predictable one- on-one match between the film's leads.
Love and Basketball is a well acted, likable romance that never aspires to be anything more than charming, and most of the time it succeeds.
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