Love & Basketball
Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan are a slam dunk in Gina Prince-Blythewood‘s timeless tale of love, ambition and the game that binds them.
PRE-GAME 🏀
Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻
Love is in the air this week, and we’re jumping into some sports-romance (sport-rom? Rom-sport?), inspired by
’s recent post:If you’re into sports romance movies, let me know your favourites in the comments and I’ll add them to the upcoming review schedule.
I’ve been extending the romance theme to other things I’ve been watching and reading this week - more on that at halftime. Perhaps it’s because the rain is still coming down heavily here in Scotland and it’s starting to feel like Autumn, but I’m finding that all I want to do these days is stay inside and watch heartwarming comedies. We’re getting to Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail movie territory much earlier than usual this year. NBA pre-season is fast approaching too, and although I get tired of the 24/7 sports media coverage of the league even during the offseason, it felt like the right time to get into Love & Basketball.
With that, it’s time for tip-off!
FIRST HALF 🏀
It’s not uncommon for sports movies to feature a romantic subplot, or for one of the main characters to have a love interest - but often it’s done in a throwaway fashion and doesn’t prove central to the film’s plot. Love & Basketball does things differently. The sport is very much the backdrop, in front of which the complicated relationship between our two characters plays out. Basketball is by no means inconsequential to the plot, but it’s a love story first and a sports movie second.
The film follows the intertwined lives of Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy McCall (Omar Epps), two childhood friends who share a mutual love for basketball and each other. The film follows both of their journeys over the course of several years, from childhood to adulthood.
It’s the relationship between the two characters that’s the heart and soul of the film, and it evolves in such a realistic way over the course of the story. From the beginning, there is an undeniable chemistry between them, even when they are beating each other up and hurling insults at one another as kids. The competitive spirit between them is a constant thread throughout, but it’s also what draws them closer in a world that often tries to set them apart.
The structure of movie is one of its most distinctive features. The story is divided into four quarters, just like a basketball game, with each quarter representing a different phase in the lives and relationship of Monica and Quincy. The structure doesn’t always hit the mark, but works in telling a story that spans so many years.
Monica is a particularly compelling character, and the film’s standout. She is strong-willed and unapologetically ambitious. Even as a kid in the ‘first quarter’, I loved how very matter-of-fact she is with her life ambitions. Later, she faces the pressure of proving herself in a male-dominated sport with this same determined spirit, while also trying to come to terms with her feelings for Quincy, which is where things get much more complicated. It’s here where Love & Basketball is at its most interesting, as it explores the role of women in sports through the lens of someone who has been passionate about basketball since childhood. It allows the film to provide a unique perspective on the challenges faced by modern female athletes and how the demands of the sport impact personal relationships - something we usually only see from the male athlete point of view in movies.
Quincy, meanwhile, is caught between living in his father’s shadow and pursuing his own dreams. Epps captures Quincy’s vulnerability as he struggles to manage the pressure and expectations put upon him, and I loved the relationship between him and his father, played by the always brilliant Dennis Haysbert. I actually felt that the film walked the fine line between Quincy being likeable and cocky just right early on, but it has always irked me just how unlikeable he becomes as the story progresses, particularly in the second half. It’s a necessary part of his journey, especially as he’s faced with the pressure to live up to an idealised image and also struggling with his own father’s imperfections. It’s his ability to confront these flaws that ultimately allows him to mature and find his way back to Monica, but I still can’t help but find him immensely unlikeable for much of the film’s second half.
This is very much a love story against a sports backdrop, but the sports scenes themselves aren’t an afterthought by any means. Gina Prince-Bythewood has a clear passion for the sport, which is evident here. The basketball scenes are well shot and capture the game’s intensity, but the film never loses sight of its emotional core because somehow, even the basketball is this film feels romantic. The on-court sequences play host to some of the film’s most intimate moments, where Monica and Quincy connect and express emotions, often without any dialogue. The on-court moments are some of the film’s most personal. The chemistry between Lathan and Epps is palpable, making their relationship feel real and these basketball scenes more powerful, particularly the infamous ‘double or nothing’ game between the two in the third act.
Love & Basketball certainly isn’t without its flaws. At times the pacing feels uneven - particularly in the third act, which feels a bit more drawn out than the first two ‘quarters’ - or maybe I just feel that way because I really came to dislike Quincy here! It’s in the third act where the film becomes a bit less interesting - until we get to the resolution and that memorable double or nothing scene. Yet, that resolution still feels somewhat rushed despite the slower third act and the film’s two hour plus run time. I’d have liked to have spent a bit more time in the beginning portion with Quincy and Monica as kids, and had an even deeper exploration of the relationship between Quincy and his father.
Despite some pacing issues, the strength of the characters and the authenticity of their relationship make Love & Basketball a deeply enjoyable and emotional watch that still feels fairly overlooked, despite its cult following.
Love & Basketball is available to rent or buy via most digital stores.
HALFTIME 🏀
Let’s take a break for halftime.
Here’s what else I’ve been enjoying this week:
Sliding Doors
Keeping the romance theme going, I revisited this 1998 Brit comedy this week. It’s been a long time since I first watched it, and while it still has some charm, it gets so ridiculous by the end that I actually found it quite funny - even in the moments where it wasn’t intending to be. Perhaps the most unbelievable thing though, is the size of the houses they are all living in - in central London no less. I get that it was 1998, but still! John Lynch is the standout here as the bumbling, cheating asshole, Gerry. Watching him slowly break down and unravel is a joy.
Available to rent/stream on most digital stores.
Untold: The Murder of Air McNair
I’d seen a lot of buzz around this online over the last week, but I found it incredibly underwhelming. At only 58 minutes long, it spends way too much time focusing on the team and their season as opposed to McNair himself or the actual incident. It meanders between the two, feeling shallow and unfocused. It picks up in the last 10 minutes or so, but ultimately it’s a frustrating watch.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Only Murders in the Building
Our favourite podcasting trio are back for a fourth season. I’ve been up and down with this show. I loved the first two seasons, but thought the last one was a bit of a bloated mess that got to far away from what made the show good in the first place, which was the three main characters together. I was a bit worried when I watched the trailer for season 4, when I saw that some of the new season would take place in Los Angeles. Episode 1 was fantastic though, and laid my fears to rest - for now. I’m glad to have these characters back on my screen.
Available to steam on Hulu (US) and Disney Plus (UK/Europe).
The Art of Catching Feelings - Alicia Thompson
’s post that I highlighted in the pre-game section, inspired me to get around to reading a book that my sister bought for me recently. She was on her way home from New York, and saw this at the airport.
I’ve seen quite a few sports-themed romance novels pop up on my feed recently, but this is the first one I’ve actually read, and it was such a fun time. I was super-invested in the characters, and
’s love of baseball practically leaps off of every page. There’s one character in the book in particular, Layla. I properly belly-laughed almost every time she appeared in the story. I would 100% watch a movie adaptation of this book too. It seems perfect for the screen treatment. If you’re reading this, Netflix, you know what to do.After having it sitting on my bookshelf for almost two years, I finally started reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara this week. I’ve put off reading it for so long, not because I don’t want to - but rather, I’ve never felt prepared or psyched-up enough for the emotional devastation that I’ve been warned I’m about to endure. I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, but already Hanya’s writing is absolutely beautiful, and the characters feel so real. I can practically hear the bustle of the New York City streets in my head as I read it. I’m a bit scared for what’s to come, though!
As usual, let me know what you’re watching, reading, playing, listening to - anything at all. Let’s get back on to the court!
SECOND HALF 🏀
Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.
BEST SCENE 🏆
You already know the one-on-one scene wins this:
Special mention goes to the opening scene though, as a close second. I love this one:
BEST LINE 🏆
Quincy: “Double or nothing.”
MVP AWARD 🏆
This goes to Sanaa Lathan as Monica. She’s the most interesting character in the movie, and I still can’t believe that Lathan didn’t even know how to properly hold a basketball when she was cast.
BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆
IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆
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."
BONUS FEATURE 💿
Here’s some throwback interview clips featuring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps:
And here’s a clip from Jemele Hill’s podcast featuring Gina Prince-Bythewood talking about the initial difficulty she had with casting Sanaa Latha.
POST-GAME 🏀
I hope everyone enjoyed Love & Basketball. I’d love to know what you thought of it. Am I the only one who thinks that Quincy behaved like a total asshole, particularly in the film’s second half? Let me know.
Next week, we’re swinging into the golf genre and looking back at Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore. I hope you can all re-visit it too, and join in the discussion. Let me know what your favourite golf movie is in the comments!
See you next week! 👋🏻
~James
Love and Basketball was one of my favorite movies when it came out. I think I watched it weekly!
Love & Basketball somehow totally passed me by in my teen years somehow - I'm thinking I need to rectify that after reading this! I remember Omar Epps being pretty dreamy.