The only touch missing from this sweet, poignant, wonderfully acted and directed romance is the voice of Judy Garland.
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01/01/00
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Love and Basketball (2000)
81
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:86
Fresh:70
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.6/10
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
Love and Basketball may not break any new ground, but, like the tulips around the neighborhood, it's always nice to see something pretty, even if we've seen it before.
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Epps and Lathan share MVP honors with their novice director, as Love and Basketball chalks up a 'W.'
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Although not a slam-dunk, it's a satisfying lay-up.
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Top CriticOf all of the projects for Spike Lee to attach his name onto, Love and Basketball may go down as one of the most idiotic.
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Though occasionally too glossy for its own good, the film is consistently intelligent.
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It's Hollywood's first good film built around a woman basketball player.
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Top CriticThe entire production is dumbed-down.
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In fact, as a whole the film is an assured, confident debut for Prince-Bythewood.
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Surprises with its significant depth and honesty.
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Uneven, a bit stilted, but with a solid cast.
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Top CriticExcessively long, agonizingly self-indulgent and full of nails-across-a-blackboard music.
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Defeated by a labored, screenplay in this overlong, clunky love story about a boy and a girl brought together, then driven apart, by their basketball ambitions.
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Top CriticSanaa Lathan and Omar Epps do not disappoint. Alfre Woodward and Debi Morgan sneak in very strong performances. Go see this.
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Love and Basketball offers a rare gimpse into the life of female athletes, and Lathan's got all the right moves.
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Top CriticFamiliar but appealing ground.
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Like a really satisfying game, the score at the end of each is no indication of who will win at the final buzzer.
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Top CriticA mawkish, overly-poignant and clichéd movie that mindlessly bounces along without ever making a clear statement.
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A mawkish, overly-poignant and clichéd movie that mindlessly bounces along without ever making a clear statement.
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While there are plenty of basketball pictures bouncing around, this is the first to give equal prominence to women's pro ball -- that alone makes it stand out from the pack.
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