Love & Basketball
{{short description|2000 film by Gina Prince-Bythewood}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Love & Basketball
| image = LBmoviePoster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Gina Prince-Bythewood
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Spike Lee
- Sam Kitt
}}
| writer = Gina Prince-Bythewood
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| music = Terence Blanchard
| cinematography = Reynaldo Villalobos
| editing = Terilyn A. Shropshire
| studio = 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
| distributor = New Line Cinema
| released = {{film date|2000|4|21}}
| runtime = 127 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $14–20 million{{Cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/movies/the-old-guard-gina-prince-bythewood.html |title= Gina Prince-Bythewood Made a Summer Blockbuster. It's About Time. |date=July 10, 2020|last=Buchanan|first=Kyle|website=The New York Times |access-date=July 11, 2020}}
}}
Love & Basketball is a 2000 American romantic sports drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film directorial debut. The film is produced by Spike Lee and Sam Kit and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. It tells the story of Quincy McCall (Epps) and Monica Wright (Lathan), two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, who are pursuing their respective basketball careers before eventually falling for each other.
Love & Basketball was released on April 21, 2000 in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at the performances of Lathan and Epps, Prince-Bythewood's direction and script, and the emotional weight of the film. It grossed $27.7 million worldwide on a production budget of $14–20 million.
Over the years, the film has developed a dedicated following, cementing its place in popular culture, and establishing itself as a cult classic.{{Cite web|date=2020-04-21|title=20 years later, the cast and crew of 'Love & Basketball' consider its legacy in an oral history|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-04-21/love-and-basketball-oral-history-20-year-anniversary|access-date=2020-10-03|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Ligons|first=Jordan|date=2020-04-21|title=Why We Keep Returning to 'Love and Basketball' 20 Years Later|url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/4/21/21228610/love-and-basketball-20-year-anniversary|access-date=2020-10-03|website=The Ringer|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2020-04-21|title=An oral history of 'Love & Basketball,' 20 years later|url=https://africa.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29069339/an-oral-history-love-basketball-20-years-later|access-date=2020-10-03|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Tamani |first=Liara |date=2020-04-16 |title='Love & Basketball' Was More Than a Movie. It Changed My Whole Life |url=https://time.com/5822507/love-and-basketball-movie-20th-anniversary/ |access-date=2020-10-03 |magazine=Time}}
In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/national-film-registry-2023-list-apollo-13-home-alone-terminator-2-12-years-a-slave-1235665956/ | title=National Film Registry: 'Apollo 13', 'Home Alone', 'Terminator 2', '12 Years a Slave' Among 25 Titles Added This Year | date=December 13, 2023 }}
Plot
The story is divided into four quarters, each one representing a different period in the lives of the protagonists. The first quarter takes place in 1981, when Monica and Quincy are children and become friends due to their shared love for basketball. Monica proves to be an excellent player, beating Quincy in their first game of one on one. However, their friendship is threatened when Quincy knocks Monica down during a game, accidentally cutting her face. They reconcile and share their first kiss, but their relationship is complicated.
The second quarter is set in 1988 when Monica and Quincy are attending Crenshaw High School. Quincy is a star basketball player, and Monica is the leader of the girls' basketball team. Quincy is popular and dates the prettiest girl in school, while Monica struggles to control her emotions on the court and harbors feelings for Quincy. However, they manage to connect romantically and make love after both being accepted at the University of Southern California.
The third quarter begins when they start college, and Quincy is a promising player on the court while Monica frequently has run-ins with her head coach Ellie Davis and struggles to get playing time on the women's team. Quincy struggles to deal with the media attention and discovers his father's infidelity. The pressures of their athletic and academic commitments, coupled with their deteriorating relationship, cause them to break up.
The fourth quarter follows the plot to 1993, a few years before the establishment of the WNBA. Monica and Quincy are both professional basketball players. Monica plays for an International Women's Basketball Association (IWBA) team in Barcelona while Quincy is in his fifth year as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. After visiting Quincy in the hospital following a devastating knee injury, Monica learns he is engaged to be married. She also confronts her mother, Camille, about their troubled past. Quincy recovers from his injury and his wedding draws closer, while Monica quits basketball to work at a bank. Camille encourages Monica to pursue her dreams and Quincy and Monica play a high stakes one-on-one game, with Quincy agreeing to call off the wedding if he loses. Although Quincy wins, he realizes he can't live without Monica and chooses her instead. The two get married and have a daughter. Monica later plays in the WNBA.
In a post-credits scene, Quincy and Monica's daughter is shown playing basketball at a playground.
Cast
{{multiple image
| align = right
| footer = Sanaa Lathan (left) and Omar Epps (right) play the two main characters of the film.
| image1 = Sanaa Lathan Shankbone 2009 Tribeca.jpg
| width1 = 150
| image2 = Omar Epps.jpg
| width2 = 170
}}
- Omar Epps as Quincy McCall
- Glenndon Chatman as young Quincy McCall
- Sanaa Lathan as Monica Wright
- Kyla Pratt as young Monica Wright
- Alfre Woodard as Camille Wright, Monica's mother
- Dennis Haysbert as Zeke McCall, Quincy's father
- Debbi Morgan as Nona McCall, Quincy's mother
- Harry J. Lennix as Nathan Wright, Monica's father
- Christine Dunford as Coach Davis
- Erika Ringor as Sidra O'Neal
- Regina Hall as Lena Wright, Monica's sister
- Naykia Harris as young Lena Wright
- Boris Kodjoe as Jason
- Gabrielle Union as Shawnee
- Monica Calhoun as Kerry
- Tyra Banks as Kyra, Quincy's fiancée
- Al Foster as Coach Hiserman
Production
In writing the semi-autobiographical film, Prince-Bythewood said her goal was "to do a black When Harry Met Sally." She has credited executive producer Spike Lee with enabling the production of the film and the opportunity to direct her own script. Gabrielle Union, who wound up playing Quincy's high school love interest, originally auditioned for the lead role of Monica. Prior to playing Monica, Sanaa Lathan had never played basketball. Unbeknownst to Prince-Bythewood, stars Lathan and Omar Epps had started dating prior to the film's production.{{cite news |last1=Kelley |first1=Sonaiya |title=20 years later, the cast and crew of 'Love & Basketball' consider its legacy in an oral history |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-04-21/love-and-basketball-oral-history-20-year-anniversary |access-date=4 May 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 April 2020}}
This was the second film to feature both Epps and Dennis Haysbert; prior to this, they played teammates on a fictitious version of the Cleveland Indians in the 1994 baseball movie Major League II.
= Music =
{{Main|Love & Basketball (soundtrack)}}
Love & Basketball is the soundtrack to the film, released April 18, 2000, on Overbrook Entertainment and Interscope Records.{{cite web |title=Love & Basketball (Soundtrack) – Original Soundtrack > Overview |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-basketball-soundtrack-r474950 |access-date=February 2, 2012 |work=Allmusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation}} Production for the album came from several recording artists, including Raphael Saadiq, Angie Stone, Zapp, and Steve "Silk" Hurley.{{cite web |title=Love & Basketball (Soundtrack) – Original Soundtrack > Credits |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-basketball-soundtrack-r474950/credits |access-date=February 2, 2012 |work=Allmusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation}} In the US, the album peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.{{cite web |title=Love & Basketball (Soundtrack) – Original Soundtrack > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-basketball-soundtrack-r474950/charts-awards |access-date=January 28, 2012 |work=Allmusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation}} Stacia Proefrock of Allmusic gave the album a three-of-five star review, saying, "Songs like Meshell Ndegeocello's 'Fool of Me' help punctuate this story of childhood friends who love each other almost as much as they love the game of basketball. Other highlights of the soundtrack include songs from MC Lyte, Al Green, and Rufus."{{cite web |last=Proefrock |first=Stacia |title=Love & Basketball (Soundtrack) – Original Soundtrack > Review |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-basketball-soundtrack-r474950/review |access-date=February 2, 2012 |work=Allmusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation}}
Reception
= Critical response =
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 113 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Confident directing and acting deliver an insightful look at young athletes."{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_and_basketball/ | title=Love and Basketball | work=Rotten Tomatoes | publisher=Flixster | access-date=August 15, 2022}} At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/love-basketball | title=Love & Basketball Reviews | work=Metacritic | publisher=CBS Interactive | access-date=January 27, 2012}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Love & Basketball" in the search box|publisher=CinemaScore|access-date=July 11, 2020}}
Film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave Love & Basketball an A− review. She enjoyed how the film portrayed women's sports in general and said, "The speed and wiliness of the game itself ensure that movies about men who shoot hoops are exciting, but the novelty of watching women bring their own physical grace to the contest is a turn-on."{{cite magazine |last=Schwarzbaum |first=Lisa |date=April 28, 2000 |title=Love & Basketball |url=https://ew.com/article/2000/04/28/love-basketball/ |access-date=January 30, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}
Rachel Deahl of AllRovi gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. In her review she complimented Epps and Lathan on their performances, and said, "Love & Basketball serves as a somber reminder of how few films exist (much less love stories, much less ones that focus on the female perspective) about multi-dimensional African-American characters outside the ghetto."{{cite web | last=Deahl | first=Rachel | url=http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/v184522/review | title=Love & Basketball – Review | work=AllRovi | publisher=Rovi Corporation | access-date=January 28, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116233410/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/v184522/review | archive-date=January 16, 2013 }} Film critic Desson Thomson of The Washington Post wrote, "Love and Basketball had moments of such tenderness and sophistication, complimented{{sic}} by such romantic dreaminess between lead performers Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. First-time filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood's film joins such films as The Best Man and The Wood, which look for the class, not the crass, in African American life."{{Cite news |last=Thomson |first=Desson |date=April 21, 2000 |title='Love and Basketball': A Winning Team |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/loveandbasketballhowe.htm |access-date=January 27, 2012}}
New York Post critic Jonathan Foreman gave the film a mixed review; he appreciated how the film "effectively conveys the excitement of basketball from a player's point of view", but opined the film is "filled with fake-sounding dialogue you only find in the cheesiest TV movies."{{cite web | last=Foreman | first=Jonathan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001210224200/http://www.nypost.com/movies/2591.htm | archive-date=December 10, 2000 | title=It Shoots, It Misses | work=New York Post| url=http://www.nypost.com/movies/2591.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=December 17, 2016}} Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote, "The film is not as taut as it could have been, but I prefer its emotional perception to the pumped-up sports clichés I was sort of expecting. It's about the pressures of being a star athlete; the whole life, not the game highlights. I'm not sure I quite believe the final shot, though. I think the girl suits up for the sequel." Ebert gave the film three out of four stars.{{Cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=April 21, 2000 |title=Love & Basketball |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/love-and-basketball-2000 |access-date=January 30, 2023}} Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer gave the film a negative review, saying "[it] is a film built upon transitions so weak and obvious it's astonishing the entire thing doesn't collapse on itself. You want to root for it, as you would any rookie underdog, but it offers nothing to cheer for."{{cite web |last=Wilonsky |first=Robert |date=2000-04-20 |title=Foul Shots: All's So-so in the Off-the-mark Hoop Drama Love & Basketball |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-04-20/film3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010223130201/http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-04-20/film3.html |archive-date=February 23, 2001 |work=Dallas Observer}} Of the acting, he stated, "Omar Epps possesses a chiseled body and a blank stare [...] Lathan is only slightly better, but she's stuck in a hollow role."
A 2015 review of the film by The A.V. Club praises it as a "nearly perfect modern romantic drama", and notes that it is an impressive debut for writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood. The review highlights the film's focus on the protagonist, Monica, and her coming-of-age story as a female basketball player who is constantly told that her body type and attitude are unacceptable. The review also notes the film's respect for Monica's athleticism, which is captured in every frame, and praises the director's tender and celebratory gaze towards her female lead.{{Cite web |date=2015-03-26 |title=For the love of strong women, basketball, and a naked Omar Epps |url=https://www.avclub.com/for-the-love-of-strong-women-basketball-and-a-naked-o-1798277958 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}} Linda Holmes, of the NPR program "Pop Culture Happy Hour," has often praised Love & Basketball, calling it "one of [her] favorite movies of any kind, by anyone."{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Linda |date=June 7, 2016 |title=Pop Culture Happy Hour, Small Batch Edition: Slate's Black Film Canon |website=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/06/07/480967261/pop-culture-happy-hour-small-batch-edition-slates-black-film-canon |access-date=February 28, 2025}}
= Box office =
Love & Basketball was released in North America on April 21, 2000 to 1,237 theaters.{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=loveandbasketball.htm|title=Love & Basketball (2000)|access-date=October 18, 2008|work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb}} It grossed $3,176,000 its first day and ending its North American weekend with $8,139,180, which was the second-highest grossing movie of the April 21–23, 2000 weekend, only behind U-571.{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2000&wknd=16&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for April 21–23, 2000 | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb | access-date=January 27, 2012}} Love & Basketball grossed $27,459,615 in the United States, which is ninth all-time for a basketball film and thirty-seventh all-time for a sports drama. The film grossed $27,728,118 worldwide; $268,503 (1%) was grossed outside of the United States.
Home video
Love & Basketball was released on DVD in the United States on after its theatrical release.
It was released by The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray on September 21, 2021.{{Cite web |title=Love & Basketball |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/31500-love-basketball |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-06-15 |title=Criterion Announces September 2021 Releases |url=https://cinemasentries.com/criterion-announces-september-2021-releases/ |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=Cinema Sentries |language=en-US}}
Awards
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Nominee ! Result ! {{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 2001
| {{won}} | rowspan="2" align="center" | {{cite web |last1=Meara |first1=Paul |title='Love & Basketball' Turns 19: See Where The Cast Is Today |url=https://www.bet.com/article/84hydz/love-basketball-turns-19-see-where-the-cast-is-today |website=BET.com |access-date=30 January 2023 |date=April 21, 2019}} |
| Best Actor
| {{nom}} |
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Nominee ! Result ! {{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| rowspan="6" | 2001
| rowspan="3" | Love & Basketball | {{won}} | rowspan="6" align="center" | {{cite web|url=https://www.blackreelawards.com/past-nominees-winners-by-category | title=Past Nominees and Winners | website=Black Reel Awards | access-date=January 30, 2023}} |
| Best Film Poster
| {{won}} |
| Best Soundtrack
| {{won}} |
| Best Actress
| Sanaa Lathan | {{won}} |
| Best Director
| {{won}} |
| Best Song
| "Fool of Me" (Meshell Ndegeocello) | {{won}} |
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Nominee ! Result ! {{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| 2000
| Sundance Film Category | Love & Basketball | {{won}} | align="center" | {{cite web|url=http://www.humanitasprize.org/Prize_PastWinners.html |title=Past Winners: Sundance Winners |publisher=Humanitas Prize |access-date=February 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406055244/http://www.humanitasprize.org/Prize_PastWinners.html |archive-date=April 6, 2010}} |
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Nominee ! Result ! {{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| 2001
| Best Drama Poster | D Stevens | {{won}} | align="center" | {{cite web |title=Biography |url=https://www.dstevensinc.com/biography |website=dstevensinc.com |access-date=30 January 2023}} |
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Nominee ! Result ! {{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| rowspan="5" | 2001
| Love & Basketball | {{nom}} | rowspan="2" align="center" | {{Cite web |last=Braxton |first=Greg |date=2000-12-08 |title='Basketball,' 'Titans' Lead NAACP Nominations |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-08-ca-62734-story.html |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} |
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
| Omar Epps | {{nom}} |
| Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
| Sanaa Lathan | {{won}} | rowspan="2" align="center" | {{cite web |title=2001 NAACP Image Awards |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0775369.html |website=Infoplease |access-date=25 January 2011}} |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
| {{won}} |
| Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress
| {{nom}} |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
=Sources=
- {{Cite video |people=Prince-Bythewood, Gina (Director) |year=2000 |title=Love & Basketball |medium=DVD |publisher=New Line Cinema |location=Los Angeles, CA}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
- {{Metacritic film}}
- [https://www.oscars.org/events/academy-all-access-20th-anniversary-love-basketball-2000 Videos and photos] at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7534-love-basketball-for-your-heart Love & Basketball: For Your Heart] an essay by Roxane Gay at the Criterion Collection
{{Gina Prince-Bythewood}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Film}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love and Basketball}}
Category:2000 romantic drama films
Category:2000s teen drama films
Category:40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks films
Category:American basketball films
Category:American coming-of-age films
Category:American teen drama films
Category:American independent films
Category:2000 independent films
Category:Films about women's sports
Category:Films set in Los Angeles
Category:Films set in Barcelona
Category:Films shot in Los Angeles
Category:Films shot in Barcelona
Category:Films about race and ethnicity
Category:Films directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Category:Films scored by Terence Blanchard
Category:Films with screenplays by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Category:New Line Cinema films
Category:African-American romantic drama films
Category:2000 directorial debut films
Category:Films set in the 1980s
Category:Films set in the 1990s
Category:2000s English-language films
Category:African-American films
Category:United States National Film Registry films