Epps, Lathan score in 'Love and Basketball'

By Christopher Cousino

Daily Arts Writer

As each spring season flowers in full bloom, Hollywood is always able to serve its audience with something a little new, a little fresh and ultimately, an utterly enjoyable flick.

Last year's "Go" took us through a day in the life of those erratic late teen years, when everything is possible, consequences seem mininmal and nothing actually goes quite right. This spring, theaters are dished an assist from director-writer Gina Prince-Bythewood and her film "Love and Basketball."

Audaciously mixing the romance genre and the sports flick, Prince-Bythewood combines the stereotypically feminine and masculine genres into a funny, emotional and exciting drama for everyone about the blossoming on-and-off-the-court relationship between two aspiring basketball hopefuls, the tough, quick-tempered Monica Wright (warmly played by Sanaa Lathan) and dreamer, hot shot Quincy McCall (Omar Epps).

Beginning in 1981, the film is broken up into quarters (i.e. basketball), each representing a segement of the characters' lives, ranging from childhood to high school to college and beyond.

After schooling some kids in a game, young Quincy is more than surprised when a new challenger, young Monica, steps to the court and removes her cap to show her long locks.

The budding relationship between the two sets up in these early years as the 10-year-old neighborhood kids play basketball, ride bikes to school and experience their first kiss.

While this could have been nostalgic dribble, Prince-Bythewood achieves some wonderfully funny chemistry between the two. Hot shot Quincy boasts the talk, aiming to be like his father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert), a fictious L.A. Clippers star, and gritty Monica walks the walk, holding more than her own when the two get into a fight.

This striking element of feminism in Monica struggling to hold her own in both a man's game (with Quincy) and the world of women's basketball (with other female players) is what makes "Love and Basketball" such an entertaining film as it works on several levels.

Yes, it could be a feminist story about a girl trying to find herself. However, it's also about family: Quincy dreams to be like his father Zeke and Monica strives to be different than her stay-at-home mom Camille (Alfre Woodard). And it's a love story too, both between Quincy and Monica and their love for the game.

The charming romance (sparked by the comfortable chemistry between Epps and Lathan) rises and falls as Quincy and Monica grow together and apart through the years in dealing with the standard romance plot points (the high school prom, dorm life, being college sweethearts).

Prince-Bythewood never falls out of bounds in being too schmaltzy or heavyhanded with the material, attaining a balanced emotional level in the performances of Lathan and Epps.

Prince-Bythewood hits a game high in the somewhat tired sports genre, adding some fresh features such as shots of Monica's point-of-view on the court during a game.

And finally, here's a sports film that doesn't come down to the final game, the final shot, the final moment.

It's about people, not just the pride of winning. Prince-Bythewood brought her game to the theaters and all's fair in saying: she messed around and got a lot more than a triple-double in "Love and Basketball."

Courtesy of New Line Productions

Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play a little one-on-one in 'Love and Basketball.'