Reel Talk: LOVE & BASKETBALL

 by Sonia Mansfield and Adam Riske

Love is like a defensive rebound. That sounds profound, right?

Adam: We’re back and I’m pumped because it’s F This Movie Fest week and this year we’re celebrating movies of the year 2000, which was an important year for me (I started it in high school and finished it in college) and one in which I saw so many movies in theaters and on video/DVD. One I didn’t see in theaters but did thanks to Blockbuster Video was Love & Basketball, the feature directorial debut by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard, The Woman King) who also wrote the film. It stars the great Omar Epps and the great Sanaa Lathan as next-door neighbors who progress from childhood to adulthood as friends, friendly rivals, lovers, and unrequited soulmates. The movie is told in four sections (labeled in the movie as “First Quarter” etc.) and covers the evolving relationship between Epps and Lathan through childhood, high school, college, and early adulthood.

I’m glad we got to revisit Love & Basketball because I couldn’t remember what I thought of it back in 2000. The film’s legacy for me was the great song “Dance Tonight” by Lucy Pearl, which plays over the end credits. I liked the movie but didn't love it on this viewing. The best thing the movie has going for it are Epps and Lathan, who have solid chemistry (they had starred together already in The Wood from 1999 and were reported to have been dating around the time Love & Basketball was released) and they’re both actors who are easy to root for thanks to their charisma and vulnerability. I also really liked that the movie gave you a perspective on professional women’s basketball in the early onset of the WNBA, where opportunities were mostly limited before to women playing overseas after their collegiate careers ended.

On one hand, I like that the movie is mellow and leisurely paced. It’s a gentle movie, but I also think that sort of grounds it when it could have been an exploding heart movie had it sustained more energy.

Sonia: This was a first-time watch for me. I was working as an arts and entertainment editor at a newspaper in 2000, and I saw a lot of movies during that time. I’m not sure how Love & Basketball got by me, but I suspect I chose to see The Virgin Suicides instead. This movie has been on my watch list for a long time, and I’m glad that F This Movie Fest finally gave me a reason to move it to the top.

I knew this movie was going to be a slam-dunk for me when it opened with them playing basketball as kids to the song "Candy Girl” by New Edition.

Omar Epps should’ve been a bigger star. He’s one of those actors who’s always good, whether it’s comedy or drama. Plus, he’s got charisma to spare. He’s doing a delicate dance in this movie, because on paper, his character Quincy could be a real jerk. He’s the son of a NBA player, and he gets a lot of things handed to him that Sanaa Lathan’s character Monica has to work twice as hard to get. But there’s a softness and playfulness in his scenes with Lathan that make his character more sympathetic.

I really love Lathan in this movie. Monica is smart and knows what she wants. She’s a badass on the court, but in the real world, when faced with society’s expectations of femininity, she’s awkward and kinda shy. And she’s a really good player, but she’s not perfect. She still has things to learn, and Lathan’s performance and Prince-Bythewood’s script do a good job of getting us on and keeping us on her side.

They have great chemistry, and I didn’t know that they were in The Wood together. *immediately moves The Wood up her watch list*

What trailers would you put in front of it, Adam?

Adam: I’d go with four trailers. The first is Finding Forrester because it’s another 2000 movie where basketball is prominent. Then I’d pick Boys and Girls because both that movie and Love and Basketball know what a wacky game love can be. Next, I’ll have Bring It On because it involves cheerleaders and they are fixtures at high school and college sporting events, and lastly in honor of Tyra Banks (who appears in Love & Basketball), I’ll program Coyote Ugly, which in my memory has a great trailer. I kinda like that movie.

Were you relieved like me to see Tyra Banks and Omar Epps together again (at least temporarily) in the third act of Love & Basketball? It’s like a make-good for the tragedy that befell them in Higher Learning. It’s their 25th Hour fantasy. Maybe the entirety of Love & Basketball is a “what if” deleted scene and we’re still watching Higher Learning and we didn’t know until now.

A few questions for you:
1. The supporting cast is stacked in Love & Basketball; do you have a favorite supporting performance?
2. Do you have another recommendation for our readers of an Omar Epps and/or Sanaa Lathan movie?
3. How has your pre-game for F This Movie Fest been going? Any recommendations of other movies you’ve watched for the first time or revisited?
4. Lastly, what is your favorite basketball movie?

Sonia: I want to give a shoutout to the actresses playing the mothers, Alfre Woodard as Monica’s mom, and Debbi Morgan as Quincy’s mom. Woodward is always great, but she gives a role that could’ve been one-note a little bit of sadness about the dreams she gave up but also proud of the daughters she raised. And Morgan, well, while she’ll always Angie from All My Children to me, she is terrific here. You can see she’s struggling with wanting to protect her son from the truth about his father vs. wanting him to see what she’s been putting up with all these years.

What’s your favorite supporting performance, Adam?

Adam: Those are two really good choices. I’ll also shout out Dennis Haysbert as Quincy’s dad. Haysbert is always solid and he’s so strong at portraying men you want to like who end up not always being as virtuous as you want them to be. I feel bad for Quincy’s family. Haysbert (as spokesperson for Allstate) asked “Are you in good hands?” and, alas, in Love & Basketball the answer is no.

Sonia: If readers are looking for more Omar Epps, I remember really liking 1992’s Juice, but it’s been years since I’ve seen it. I remember Tupac kinda stealing that movie from everyone, but maybe I’m rewriting history. For Lathan, I’d recommend Brown Sugar, which is basically Love & Basketball, but instead of basketball, it’s hip-hop, and instead of Omar Epps, it’s Taye Diggs.

I’ve revisited a few 2000 movies to pre-game for F This Movie Fest. I’ve avoided anything too heavy because the world is worlding, and I wanted something light. So I rewatched Dancer in the Dark. Just kidding. I'll never watch Dancer in the Dark again. I rewatched Center Stage. Look, I know it’s not a great movie, but I like it. I love movies with dancing.

I’ve got two more movies I’m planning to watch. The first one isn’t light. It’s American Psycho. I’m curious how this one is going to hold up for me. And then I’m going to reward myself for watching American Psycho by watching Miss Congeniality.

Isn’t everyone’s favorite basketball movie White Men Can’t Jump followed by Hoosiers? I mean, I guess there’s a chance that The Air Up There is someone’s favorite.

What’s your favorite basketball movie, Adam?

Adam: The Air Up There hasn’t aged well. It’s basically Kevin Bacon being like “You’re tall and can dunk. You have no other choice than to play basketball.” White Men Can’t Jump is my favorite comedy of all time, so by default it’s my favorite basketball movie. My backup answer is Hoop Dreams and not only because as a resident of the Chicagoland area it is law to say Hoop Dreams is the best basketball movie.

Thanks for joining me for a chat about Love & Basketball, Sonia. We’ll be back next time discussing a new release.

For our readers, what are your thoughts on Love & Basketball? Have you seen any good 2000 movies lately?

Happy F This Movie Fest week everyone!