Just Wright (2010)

A physical therapist falls for the basketball player she is helping recover from a career-threatening injury.

Director:

Sanaa Hamri

Writer:

Michael Elliot

Stars:

Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Queen Latifah	...	Leslie Wright
Common	...	Scott McKnight
Paula Patton	...	Morgan Alexander
James Pickens Jr.	...	Lloyd Wright
Phylicia Rashad	...	Ella McKnight
Pam Grier	...	Janice Wright
Laz Alonso	...	Mark Matthews
Mehcad Brooks	...	Angelo Bembrey
Michael Landes	...	Nelson Kaspian
Dwight Howard	...	Himself
Dwyane Wade	...	Himself
Rashard Lewis	...	Himself
Bobby Simmons Jr.	...	Himself
Jalen Rose	...	Himself
Rajon Rondo	...	Himself

Storyline

Leslie Wright is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight. All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's childhood friend Morgan, who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of "best friend" forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him?

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Plot Keywords:

therapist | physical therapist | nba | basketball | basketball player | 

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Taglines:

In this game every shot counts.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some suggestive material and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dogru Hamle

Filming Locations:

East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,284,989 (USA) (14 May 2010)

Gross:

$21,520,719 (USA) (30 July 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Flavor Unit Entertainment, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paolo Montalban:  The Sommelier at Restaurant who asked to Scott McKnight and Morgan Alexander.

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Goofs

Scott McNight injures his knee in the All-Star game which is held in February. However, all of the outdoor scenes in New York that follow were obviously shot during the summer.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Shrek Forever After/Survival of the Dead/Holy Rollers (2010)

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Soundtracks

"H.U.G.s"
Written by Fabian Almazan
Performed by The Terence Blanchard Group

User Reviews

The cast tries hard, especially Latifah. Clearly they are defeated by a weak script

(Credit IMDb) Leslie Wright is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight. All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's childhood friend Morgan, who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of "best friend" forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him?

I actually enjoyed bits and pieces of this movie, it was really starting off well, but it didn't take long to head into a downward spiral. I like the fact for once both love interests intentions are honorable and such, but it was all too predictable. For starters, it's possible yes, but am I really supposed to believe a big star like Scott McKnight (Common) could be that nice? It just felt a bit too dreamy to me, and while I think it would be lovely for today's world, I really don't see that happening. The performances aren't a question, in fact it's arguable that all of them were either above average or great, it's just the script is too phony and a bit too weak. The finale itself also reeks of clichés, and turns into your typical Romance ending.

The Acting. Queen Latifah is purely the heart of this film. She clearly put every ounce of effort she had in this movie, and it shows. Her performance is electrifying and full of energy and charisma, but the script just doesn't back all that up unfortunately. She is everything a Woman should be in this world, and she pulled it off with conviction and believability. Common himself is also pretty good, not as good as Latifah, but good. He's charmingly nice (Bit too nice if you ask me) and did as much as he could, while having competent and believable chemistry with Latifah. Paula Patton plays her deceiving, greedy role to a T, showing a little heart at the end. Pickens Jr. Rashad (Of Cosby fame) and Pam Grier do well as the respected parents. Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade has amusing cameos.

Bottom line. I didn't mind this, and it kept me watching. But it could have been so much more, and it deserved more with all the effort the cast gave to it. Watch it just for Latifah, her performance is worth the price of admission.

5 ½ /10