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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sanaa Lathan said her basketball tryout was terrible because she'd never played before. "It was so embarrassing because literally I didn't know how to dribble. I didn't know how to hold the ball. But I'm proud of how it looks [in the movie]. I had no idea I would be able to do it."

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Goofs

During the final one-on-one basketball scene, Quincy and Monica both have the ball in one shot.

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Quotes

Young Quincy: Can't do this shit!
Zeke McCall: Boy, what did I tell you about using that word?
Young Quincy: Can't should never be in a man's vocabulary.
Zeke McCall: And why not?
Young Quincy: Cause when you say can't you aint a man!

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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 Orange Is the New Black: Comic Sans (2014)

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Soundtracks

I Wish I Didn't Love You So
Written by Frank Loesser
Performed by Marvin Gaye
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Intelligent romantic comedy with a feminist touch.

I loved that Monica was fierce about her love of basketball, had a quick temper on the court, and knew exactly what she wanted. I kept waiting for her to punch out those idiot female high school classmates of hers who kept picking on her because she was a tomboy. There was a nice contrast between Monica's independence and the traditional homemaker route that her mother took. The subplot about the troubled marriage of Quincy's parents was also well done. I have seen other basketball movies ("Above The Rim" and "He Got Game" comes to mind), but this is one of the better ones, esp. since it tells the story from the viewpoint of the female athlete, and an African-American one, at that. I wholeheartedly recommend this. It's free of the fluff that permeates other romantic dramas.

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