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, Cataluña, 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

After playing a smooth-talking player in Waiting to Exhale, Dennis Haysbert was hesitant to play another cheater. He told Jet he took the role because "Then I saw the emphasis was going to be on the father-son relationship. That was something that was close to my heart."

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Goofs

The interlocked "SC" logo appears in numerous shots, particularly during the women's practices and games in the gym. That logo was designed in 1993, and was first used that fall. The script "uSc" logo was heavily used before that. It appears in other places throughout the film, including the men's basketball team shorts and the coach's door.

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Quotes

Monica: So that's it? Just forget about you and me?

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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 Psych: Lassie Jerky (2013)

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Soundtracks

"My Prerogative"
Written by Gene Griffin, Bobby Brown and Teddy Riley
Performed by Bobby Brown
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
Under liccense from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A great relationship film, I give it a 10

First off, let me say that I am a huge fan of almost every sport known to mankind. Now perhaps because of this, you'd think I'd enjoy movies easier whose central theme revolves around a sport. Contrary to that notion though, I am often a hard rater of sports movies because I expect so much from them.

I really enjoyed this movie though. I thought the acting by both Lathan and Epps was outstanding. I found it to be extremely realistic, with the exception of seeing Epps in a Laker uniform, but other than that, it was real. At one point during the film, I really started to wonder if this film was based on a true story or something, how cool would that have been. Nonetheless, the fictional story is captivating.

Yes I am a guy and I love sports, but I do like watching the occassional love story. I liked Pearl Harbor and Titantic which revolved around love stories, and I liked this love story too. There is more to it though, than just two people who fall for each other who happen to play basketball.

There is the relationship not only between Quincy and Monica, but the relationships they had with their father and mother respectively. There is also the relationship they have with the world they live in, trying to find out what they really want in life. It really makes you think about how sometimes the very thing you are looking for is actually standing right there in front of you and you don't realize it.

In the end, I loved Love and Basketball, and I give it a 10.