Love & Basketball (2000)

In 1981 in L.A., Monica moves in next door to Quincy. They're 11, and both want to play in the NBA, just like Quincy's dad. Their love-hate relationship lasts into high school, with ... See full summary »

Director:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Stars:

Glenndon Chatman, Jess Willard, Sanaa Lathan

12 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenndon Chatman	...	Young Quincy
Jess Willard	...	Jamal
Chris Warren Jr.	...	Kelvin
Kyla Pratt	...	Young Monica
Alfre Woodard	...	Camille Wright
Naykia Harris	...	Young Lena
Harry Lennix	...	Nathan Wright
Debbi Morgan	...	Nona McCall
Dennis Haysbert	...	Zeke McCall
Sanaa Lathan	...	Monica Wright
Omar Epps	...	Quincy McCall
Colleen Matsuhara	...	UCLA Coach
Al Foster	...	Coach Hiserman
Nathaniel Bellamy Jr.	...	Highschool Referee #1 (as Nathaniel Bellamy)
Regina Hall	...	Lena Wright

Storyline

In 1981 in L.A., Monica moves in next door to Quincy. They're 11, and both want to play in the NBA, just like Quincy's dad. Their love-hate relationship lasts into high school, with Monica's edge and Quincy's top-dog attitude separating them, except when Quincy's parents argue and he climbs through Monica's window to sleep on the floor. As high school ends, they come together as a couple, but within a year, with both of them playing ball at USC, Quincy's relationship with his father takes an ugly turn, and it leads to a break up with Monica. Some years later, their pro careers at a crossroads, they meet again. It's time for a final game of one-on-one with high stakes.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | nba | professional athlete | year 1988 | female basketball player | 

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Taglines:

A story of the passion it takes to keep your dreams alive.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Love and Basketball

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£46,423 (UK) (7 July 2000)

Gross:

ESP 334,150 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Spike Lee believed the female lead should have believable basketball skills. Gina Prince-Bythewood said in an interview "I saw over 700 people for the part: actors, ballplayers, people who had never acted before in their life. It finally came down to Sanaa [Lathan] and Niesha Butler [a star player at Georgia Tech and 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year]. I put Sanaa with a basketball coach for two months and Niesha with an acting coach."

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Goofs

Monica falls and skins her face. When Monica's mother cleans her face, the washcloth is scrunched up in one shot, and folded nicely in the next shot.

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Quotes

Shawnee: [after noticing Monica at the dance] Damn, girl, I didn't know Nike made dresses.

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Crazy Credits

The end of the creidts show Quincy's and Monica's daughter dunking a basketball .

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Connections

Referenced in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Episode dated 19 May 2006 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"This Woman's Work"
Written by Kate Bush
Performed by Maxwell
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

The title says it all

Love and Basketball: Monica and Quincy have lived beside one another since they were kids, and they only care about two things in life - basketball and each other.

I am definitely more of a movie fan than a basketball fan, thus I went in expecting a jock flick with a token relationship thrown in to justify the title. I could not have been more wrong. Unlike "He Got Game" (another very good film), which dwells solely on the negative aspects of the sport - hustlers, hookers, drugs and death, L&B concentrates on the positive things in life and basketball serves as the background rather than the focus. The story is very well written and works on several levels - it refuses to be pinned down as simply a romance or drama, choosing instead a careful blending of different elements. My only complaint - minor at that - would have to be the ending (and no I'm not going to tell you).

First, how could I find fault with a film that actually does a great casting job with Tyra Banks? She has a small cameo role- she plays a beautiful stewardess, small stretch - with some great lines. Omar Epps brings his trademark cockiness to the role, and although it took me awhile to buy him as a basketball player -he's not exactly Goliath -he grows on you. More importantly, he exhibits and a depth and range that he's never shown before. Sanaa Lathan however, goes one step further, and demonstrates an intensity both on and off the court that puts her in a league all her own. Her performance can be summed up as superb.

L&B is real, engaging, and enjoyable.

Don't miss it.