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Director:Gina Prince-Bythewood
AMG Rating:starstarstar
Genre:Romance
Movie Type:Sports Drama, Romantic Drama
Themes:Faltering Friendships, Basketball Players, High School Life
Main Cast:Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Debbi Morgan
Release Year:2000
Country:US
Run Time:124 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13


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 ball at USC, Quincy's relationship with his father takes an ugly turn, and it leads to a break up with Monica. Some years later, their pro careers at a crossroads, they meet again. It's time for a final game of one-on-one with high stakes.

To call director Gina Prince-Bythewood's debut feature refreshing would be an understatement. This touching tale of two aspiring professional basketball players, who also happen to be childhood best friends and on-again-off-again lovers, deftly weaves the paths of its dueling stars into a warm and smart love story. In portraying the heartbreaking realities of a love affair threatened by competition and ambition (think A Star Is Born for basketball), Prince-Bythewood focuses more closely on the trajectory of her female lead (Sanaa Latham in a star-making performance), broadening the scope of her love story to include an examination of the role of women in sports. With stand-out performances from both Omar Epps and Latham as the athletic couple, 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. ~ Rachel Deahl, All Movie Guide.