Love & Basketball (2000)

Monica and Quincy love and play basketball together through many life challenges from childhood to adulthood.

Director:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Stars:

Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Glenndon Chatman

13 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenndon Chatman	...	Young Quincy
Jess Willard	...	Jamal
Chris Warren	...	Kelvin (as Chris Warren Jr.)
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:

1980s | high school | basketball movie | bare chested male | sport in title | 

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Taglines:

All's fair in love and basketball.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

5 years earlier, Omar Epps & Tyra Banks played a romantic couple who were college athletes in "Higher Learning".

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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

Sidra O'Neal: That's what you get for trying to show out... freshman.
Monica: I was just trying to play ball.
Sidra O'Neal: You were TRYING to make me look bad.
Monica: Didn't have to try very hard.
Sidra O'Neal: Girl, don't you know you just sloppy seconds?
Big Toni: Sidra. Let it go.
Sidra O'Neal: The ONLY reason you here, is 'cause Tanya Randall got pregnant, and decided not to come. They were DONE recruiting.
Zvette: That's cold, Sid.
Sidra O'Neal: Just thought the girl should know.
[stalks off to the showers]
[...]

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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

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Shootin' Hoops (2011)

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Soundtracks

I Go To Work
Written by Kool Moe Dee (as Mohandas Dawese) and King Floyd
Performed by Kool Moe Dee
Courtesy of Jive Records

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.

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:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,139,180, 23 April 2000

Gross USA:

$27,459,615

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,728,118

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