Two decades later, Love & Basketball is still one of the most empathetic romances and sports drama
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▶ Streaming on Hulu | Today’s movie is Gina Prince-Bythewood’s romance Love & Basketball. Despite cementing itself in pop culture in subsequent years, the semi-autobiographical film actually flopped in the box office. But what counts is where it’s at at the end of the game, and Love & Basketball certainly scored a homerun (sports!).
Childhood next-door neighbors Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) slowly fall in love over the years as they pursue their respective basketball careers through high school and college. [Trailer]
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Why you should watch it: After its release, Love & Basketball has become one of the most known and admired romances that came out of the 2000s. However, even with its newfound reputation, it’s somehow still underrated. The movie is beautifully complex with layers upon layers of achingly human emotions in each of the characters. Prince-Bythewood’s direction is brilliant as it shifts you in and out of the characters’ POV.
At its core, the film is a deeply intelligent and subversive character study about dreams, love, relationships, gender roles. However, what makes the film great is its memorable and irresistible cast of characters — in particular, Lathan, Epps, Alfre Woodard, and Debbi Morgan, who hits buckets in every scene she’s in (more sports!).
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Runtime 124 mins
Year 2000
Hi, I’m Karl ? Follow me on Twitter and Letterboxd! I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes ?
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Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.