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Love & Basketball

2000

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Dennis Haysbert, Debbi Morgan ...

6.1

399

Romance. Drama 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 ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Matt Brown Screen Anarchy	"Still a gem (...) A refreshingly complete motion picture, one that attacks a variety of themes over years of its characters' lives in a tight two-hour frame, feeling less like a film than a thorough and balanced novel"
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"It's a thoughtful and touching story (...) Not as taut as it could have been, but I prefer its emotional perception to the pumped-up sports cliches I was sort of expecting (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		James Berardinelli ReelViews	"It illustrates the vast gulf of inequality that exists between male and female athletes. Attention to details like this place it a step ahead of the competition. Not a slam-dunk, but a satisfying lay-up (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"The humor is terrific, the cinematography has a burnished glow, and the score is lush"
		Common Sense Media	"Romance and sports mix; some strong language and sex (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Andy Seiler USA Today	"One wishes producer Spike Lee had stepped in to give the dialogue some sass (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"
		Caroline Siede AV Club	"'Love & Basketball' made the invisible visible and conquered the romance genre in the process, inspiring generations of filmmakers along the way"
		TV Guide	"Prince-Bythewood's structural conceit is both precious and schematic, but the movie's performances, especially Lathan's, are strong enough to balance out the sometimes-clichéd script"

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