I love the ‘90s and 2000s because they had it all: top-notch sitcoms and unforgettable movies. Still, watching some classics now as an adult makes me think, “Oh. Was this always like that?”
Love & Basketball is one of those productions that makes me scratch my head when I remember it’s a “romantic” sports drama, because, honestly, where was the real romance?
It stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan as Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, the two neighbors who, from childhood, have a complicated relationship but share a love for basketball. The cast also includes Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union, and Debbi Morgan, with Spike Lee producing and Gina Prince-Bythewood directing (her feature debut).
The plot has four quarters, like basketball games, following Quincy and Monica’s relationship, breakup, and reconnection. It’s supposed to be a love story about how “true love will always find its way back,” but even though it’s a classic, it’s not romantic to me at all.
Love & Basketball isn’t a bad movie, it’s just not full of love
There’s no such thing as a perfect relationship, even in a fictional world, and this movie shows that. Yet the bad was on display more than the good. Quincy and Monica are both top-tier basketball players; even as children, they knew they were destined to play the sport professionally.
Over the years, as kids, teens, and then college students, their feelings for each other develop, and they try a relationship. Quincy becomes a star player in college, but media attention and his father’s infidelity, someone he looked up to who played for the Lakers, create a problem.
Monica is passionate and shows emotions on the court, which leads to run-ins with her college coach. With their journeys taking different paths, the two eventually broke up. Quincy plays for the Lakers, while Monica joins an International Women’s Basketball team. The WNBA hadn’t been established yet; the fourth quarter is set in 1993.
Quincy gets hurt, and Monica visits him only to learn he’s engaged. Here’s the part I loathe: they play a one-on-one game, with Quincy agreeing to call off the engagement if Monica wins. She loses, and after a few seconds of her feeling defeated, he says, “double or nothing”. Maybe it’s just me, but this movie felt like Monica was chasing after him, and I don’t like that.
Am I still going to watch it? Of course.
Header image credit: Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps in ‘Love & Basketball’ (New Line Cinema/IMDb)
