Jaylyn Walker
Writing 101 003
Dr. Gerald
October 30, 2012
Love and Basketball
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When it comes to a movie about your favorite sport and being romantic you can not go wrong with Love and Basketball. It is a movie that shows love, determination, the struggle, and courage to face all obstacles that come in the way. This movie is directed and produced by Gina Prince-Bythewood and Spike Lee. Gina Prince-Bythewood chose to focus on the obstacles and struggles of each family and how love seems to bring everything together. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars for quality, major theme or plot of the story and for the actors and actresses in the movie. Overall this movie is wonderful. Love and Basketball is a movie about two teenagers who are determined to make it in the NBA and WNBA league, but also keep their relationship as strong as they can. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The setting of the movie takes place in Los Angeles, California, and it starts in 1981. The movie is broken up into four quarters, showing the lives of the main characters Monica Wright, who is played Kyla Pratt and Sanaa Lathan, and Quincy McCall, who is played by Glenndon Chatman and Omar Epps. Gina Prince-Bythewood did a great job choosing the actors and actresses for this movie. The beautiful Sanaa Lathan, and handsome Omar Epps, delivers their characters in the athletic and romantic aspects of the movie perfectly. The four quarters also show how Monica has to fight her way to the top because she is a female, and although Quincy does not have it hard, he still approaches obstacles and must find a way to cope with them. It seems that when Monica is at her highest point, Quincy is at his lowest point, and vise versa. The two main characters in the end finally get on the same track and find love in basketball. In the first quarter, it starts with three boys playing a game of basketball, discussing how bad they all want to make it into the NBA. In the middle of their discussion they are greeted by the new neighbor, and are discouraged when they find out that the he they thought the neighbor was is really a girl. “Aw man, he’s a girl,” says young Quincy. (Love and Basketball) Even though the young boys were upset about young Monica being a girl, they are still fascinated by her drive and her determination to win the game of basketball. Young Quincy and Monica discover their friendship and their one major similarity, their love for basketball. According to Hayes in the second quarter, there is hell in high, but not for Quincy and Monica. (Hayes) They are known as the top players of their high school’s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams. Monica finds herself frustrated as her last game is approaching and she still hadn’t been recruited. On the other hand, Quincy, who has it a little easier since his father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert) is a former player of the L.A. Clippers, has many recruit offers. Monica fights with her mother Camille (Alfre Woodard) over her lack of feminine ways and tomboy style and is taunted because in Monica’s words, “I’d rather dribble a basketball than wear an apron” (Love and Basketball). She proves that she can be a lady when she agrees to attend her school’s homecoming dance with a guy her sister Lena (Regina Hall) goes to college with. Astonished with her transformation as she walks through the doors of her high school, Quincy stops dancing with his date to come and greet Monica and hers. Jealous of her date, Quincy returns to his date. Later on after the dance Quincy and Monica meet up outside each other’s windows and discuss each other’s night and Quincy opens a letter from USC that’s addressed to Monica. He tells her that she is accepted and that he decided on USC also. That makes Monica so happy and they embrace with a kiss. There is some sexual content in this scene, therefore this is movie is rated PG-13. Quarter 3 starts off with Monica and Quincy in a quite serious but well worth it relationship at the