If we were to go with a basketball metaphor, Queen Latifah (Chigaco) is the go-to girl on this team. If a scene starts to go a little wobbly, pass her the ball and she’ll clear the net. There are other great players on this team, Paula Patton (Precious), Common (Date Night), James Pickens Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), but Queen Latifah is the star. She puts the butts in the seats. She is the points leader.
As far as romantic comedies go, this one has your basic formula. Queen Latifah is a skilled physical therapist and a major basketball fan. Her cousin, the flashy and attractive Paula Patton is going to the games for another reason. Her goal is to nab herself a NBA player and marry him, gaining all the perks and privileges that go with it. When Latifah accidently meets the Nets star player at a gas-station, she manages to score an invitation to his birthday party. But when she takes her gold-digging cousin with her, she loses Scott McKnight’s attention and walks away defeated. Leslie Wright is no match for her cousin Morgan’s NBA marriage plan.
Scott McKnight falls right into the trap and Leslie never points out or reveals her cousin’s manipulations. Morgan is not unlike other NBA wives and the two deserve each other. But when Scott gets hurt and his career is threatened, Leslie moves in and becomes his full-time therapist. While getting to know the real him, she begins to worry that her cousin will let him down and right on cue, she leaves him. Leslie is left to pick up the pieces and rebuild the career of the man she has learned to love.
What is unusual about this film is that it is nice. There are no fights, disparaging remarks or ugly confrontations. Everyone is very adult. Even Scott’s mother, who sees right through Morgan, allows him to make his own decisions. There is no scheming, no back-stabbing, just a lot of loving support. And as nice as this is, it does remove some of the heat. The love scenes are not very steaming. If anything this film is about confidence and believing in yourself. If you like yourself and present your best to others, they will like you too. A little tame for a romantic comedy, but nice. And nice is okay with me.
Rating: Second Run A nice romantic comedy
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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