Quarantine Black Movie Marathon Day 4: Love & Basketball (2000)
Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps in Love & Baskeball (2000)
remember these reviews are SPOILER FREE
Hi again,
It finally happened. I watched Love & Basketball. I’ve watched a lot of romantic comedies/dramas in my time (hence why it’s strange I have not seen this one) and I can definitively say this film has all the classic elements: enemies to lovers, a dramatic reunion (or 2!), an amazing soundtrack, Gabrielle Union… you know the deal. However, I will say in terms of depth and character development, this movie ranks pretty high up the on ladder. Love & Basketball was released in 2000 and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film follows Quincy and Monica— childhood frenemies and next door neighbors who share a love for basketball— as they fall in love through various stages of their lives. From childhood to high school to college to adulthood we see the two grow both in their relationship to one another and their relationship to basketball.
The conflict in this movie felt really genuine— none of the drama that could be solved with one sentence of communication that many romantic classics lean on. When things went wrong, you understood where the problem came from. You also understood why the problem is difficult to solve for the characters— a lot of films struggle with this and Love & Basketball achieved it pretty seamlessly. When Quincy and Monica fight in college, there is no clear answer as to how to alleviate that tension while appeasing both parties— you are forced to wait and see what happens.
I am a big fan of the structure of this movie. Splitting the film into “quarters” was a great means of moving through the story in a way that was fun and never felt too jumpy. It also allowed you to anticipate coming quarters and make connections through the different sections. The structure made this movie feel as if what we were watching was no just a story about love, but a saga— something that spans years of change, falling together, falling apart, and figuring it out. There is no doubt that this is the kind of movie which would have prompted a whole new set of childhood grand romantic fantasies.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this movie is how it managed to show Quincy and Monica’s relationship as one of equals in subtle ways. Yes, you had those more obvious “girls can do what boys can do” moments but the actual dynamic of their relationship was demonstrated best through small moments that you wouldn’t really think twice about.
To be honest, I don’t have too much to add to the discussion with this movie. Everything I’ve heard about it before rings true: it’s well written, has great acting, and could hardly be more black. I am always willing to watch a movie that is allowed to tell a black story that has absolutely nothing to do with our relationship to whiteness. This one will definitely get a couple rewatches in the near future.
Additional Random Thoughts
I know we say this every movie, every year, and anytime but, jesus christ, Gabrielle. Union. does. not. age.
I know the party scene was an emotional turning point in the movie but that party looked fun and I can’t say I wasn’t taking some notes on some of the background actors’ moves.
when Monica put her hair in those nice cornrows at the end I let out a sigh of relief
Afre Woodard is a national treasure
ok so I get that we understand how deep their relationship is and the game at the end is more of just a way to subtly show how they’re feeling blah blah blah but COULD YOU IMAGINE if someone actually did that to another person who was engaged?? wild.
This girl is in Spain for 7 months and doesn’t speak Spanish at all??
See you soon,
Sofia
