This romantic drama from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood is well-acted.
Comment
08/07/08
Love and Basketball (2000)
82 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 84
Fresh: 69
Rotten:15
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Consensus: Confident directing and acting deliver an insightful look at young athletes.
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: LOVE AND BASKETBALL is the powerful story of two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles who grow up loving basketball and, eventually, each other. Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) have... [More]
Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
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Reviews for Love and Basketball
The surprise element here is that the film takes Monica's career, and her love of the game, as seriously, probably more seriously, than it does Quincy's.
03/24/08
Told largely from the point of view of the woman, this career-versus-love story still develops the perspective of the man persuasively, as Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps reveal their characters' motives with nuances of expression that transcend the dialogue.
03/26/07
Top CriticThe pic is so well directed and lead performance by Sanaa Lathan so charismatic that audiences will overlook the script's flaws and root for the central duo.
03/26/07
Top CriticStylishly shot and bursting with visual and sexual energy, this is confident black women's film-making and an eloquent tribute to the girl with the permanently grazed knees -- and about time too.
06/24/06
Satisfying, enjoyable and smart.
07/21/05
Top CriticThanks to Spike Lee's production company for giving a talented newcomer a good start.
04/09/05
Mawkishly heartfelt, but actress Sanaa Lathan performs as if she were lit from within.
08/07/04
Top CriticAn unusual but engaging mix of the overwrought and the understated, a picture that, at two hours plus, keeps threatening to overstay its welcome and yet always pulls us back into its conversational orbit.
12/23/02
Top CriticIt's a fine example of a conventionally made picture which follows all the rules yet still emerges as fresh and original.
12/03/02
Prince-Bythewood, a first-time feature filmmaker out of UCLA's film school, tells a story that is at once warm and heartfelt -- and often funny as well.
10/21/02
The chemistry between the two stars is exactly right. They are entirely believable as friends, as rivals and as lovers -- a tricky combination for any acting pair.
10/15/02
This film does at least feature superior acting and a solid script.
12/10/01
The humor is terrific, the cinematography has a burnished glow, and the score is lush.
02/09/01
Top CriticThis one has crossover hit written all over it.
02/09/01
Top CriticA sweet tale.
01/01/00
The most passionate, clear-sighted movie ever made about women in sports.
01/01/00
Top CriticLove and Basketball never really reconciles the two elements of its title and ultimately basketball is forced to take a backseat to love.
01/01/00
Top CriticWith its beautiful stars, posh settings and clearly delineated lines between men and women, viewers will comfortably swallow Love and Basketball's feminist undertones.
01/01/00
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