That's the norm, and that was all Gina -- she made Monica relatable. Life imitates art for hoopers Alex Johnson and Brey Dorsett.
Even if you were in the working class or the lower working class economically, it was a very rich lifestyle in terms of quality of life and community. [16], Film reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave Love & Basketball an A- review. Most people who play basketball, in the WNBA and NBA, have watched this movie. I had never acted before. Lathan: We've been conditioned in Western society that the man is the savior, the man is the one who's fighting for you. Monica frequently has run-ins with the head coach Ellie Davis when her relationship in Quincy becomes more and more strained.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand. My mom was like, "What?". The majority of us didn't experience that. It doesn't thumb its nose up at you emotionally. Epps: The dichotomies that Gina built are timeless. Gabrielle Union, who wound up playing Quincy's high school love interest, originally auditioned for the lead role of Monica. "Love & Basketball" was relatively well received, bringing in more than $27 million at the box office worldwide (the film's estimated budget was $15 million to $20 million). That is so dope, didn't know that. Having left USC after his freshman season, Quincy is now in his fifth year in the pros, trying to find a role with his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers. They keep pumping them out, but why can't we get another story with a woman lead as a baller? And then the audience erupted and they gave us a standing ovation that lasted. I went to Northwestern, so I met kids with money who were in groups like Jack and Jill [a social club typically associated with black middle- and upper-middle-class children]. One in particular blew away Sam Kitt, then the head of Spike Lee's production company -- 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks -- and subsequently wound up in the hands of New Line Cinema. Lathan: I worked and worked and worked. They would grease the floor down, and I told Gina we've got to get the scene or Sanaa's going to get hurt.
He also made sure to innocuously mention to Dorsett that his hamstring was bothering him on the way to the gym that day. The film is produced by writer-director Spike Lee and Sam Kit and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. I mean, that's a little cheesy, but that didn't even bother me.
I saw your name in the credits. The film has a 95% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. We were watching the dailies for when Quincy breaks up with Monica outside of the [USC] dorm. I still kind of really want to finish that game.".
She was a hero. Prince-Bythewood: When I started writing it, there was no WNBA.
She said that if I agreed to play Monica, she would play my mother.
But Prince-Bythewood, even up until the previews, was convinced she had missed her shot. It was really cool to watch. Prince-Bythewood: We went from an all-black audience to a 99% white audience [at Sundance]. It was a spot-on portrayal of this segment of the population that most people never understood. We both put 100 percent into that. As the two struggle to reach their goals of playing professionally, they must also deal with their emotions for each other.
You could fake a jump shot, but you can't fake a close-up. I played ball, I had a child, I took some time off and then when I came back to play, my husband at the time was there in the stands taking care of the baby while I played. Cheyenne Parker, Chicago Sky forward: Hold on -- the WNBA didn't exist yet? We used girls from the basketball team, a lot of the crowds were kids from Crenshaw. Prior to playing Monica, Sanaa Lathan had never played basketball. Especially back then. I thought it was well written, but it was very true for so many women in sports, not just basketball players. I remember being worried about that. I wasn't like the other girls. The mom was still in the home. Parker: I plan on making a sequel if no one else makes one. I had to go with the actor.
I had to do that a few times. In my head I was like, "This is so not Monica." I realized it's a love story set in the world of basketball.
I didn't grow up around that. I'd played, but I wasn't a professional. Lennix: Most of the content that was popular, things like "A Raisin in the Sun" [a play by Lorraine Hansberry that portrays an impoverished African American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s] or "Nothing But a Man" [1964 film about an African American rail worker], showed black people in a certain economic condition. This was touching in a different way for me because it reminded me of the movie. Throughout the movie they struggle to balance their affection and love for each other with others and basketball. Quincy agrees and wins, but can no longer be apart from Monica and chooses her instead.
", Waithe: I was a tomboy. I understand the arguments against not doing one, but I just know, in her hands, she'd make another inspiring movie. Quincy's father was successful.
The New Line position was: The love story has to work first and foremost with the basketball good enough. The site's critics consensus reads: "Confident directing and acting deliver an insightful look at young athletes. It has nothing to do with if you're dating or not. I said in my head, "Well, I guess they didn't get it." "[11], In writing the semi-autobiographical film, Prince-Bythewood said her goal was "to do a black When Harry Met Sally." Monica was beautifully played and beautifully written, so it's a lot of people's favorite movie. Sanaa is a great actor, she did a great job in the film. I'm glad I didn't because it would've affected the casting.
I related to [Monica]. Imagine saying that to somebody in real life without cracking up. Could Spurs trade DeRozan? That's kind of our relationship. "I wanted to do something that at the end of the day, I could say was memorable for us and nobody else," Johnson explained. It tells the story of Quincy McCall (Epps) and Monica Wright (Lathan), two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, California, who are pursuing their respective basketball careers before eventually falling for each other. He worked with New Line Cinema on "Bamboozled," also released in 2000.).
How can you give this an R?"
And Sanaa looked great in the movie and she could do things really well, like dribbling [two] basketballs at the same time. Of course I saw it anyway. And there are so many more. Wow. It's relatable.
The film is produced by writer-director Spike Lee and Sam Kit and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. The fact that it's normal, women playing ball as pros. It's her favorite movie. It shows the empowerment of a woman who's determined to do what she wants to do. "[17], Rachel Deahl of AllRovi gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. "You know when someone is watching you.
I screamed, 'I sort her mail!'" Over the years, the film has developed a dedicated following, cementing its place in popular culture, and establishing itself as a cult classic.[3][4][5][6][6]. [15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. She was invited to the directors lab, where she cast multiple readings. It was a secret until they were on set. If I had kept it an R, I would've been an idiot. Prince-Bythewood: My Alfre meeting was funny because it's Alfre Woodard, first of all. According to Prince-Bythewood, an Olympic sprinter (pre-scandal) and the greatest female tennis player of all time were among the more than 700 athletes and actors considered for the role of Monica.
Roberts: You're usually cringing when you see the basketball scenes or the athletic scenes on film.
I said, "I need you to come to the office, we're gonna sit and talk." Monica also struggles with the will she secretly still harbors for Quincy and also struggles with her mother, Camille, pressuring her to give up basketball and "act like a lady."
Even the star of Love & Basketball, Sanaa Lathan (Monica in the movie), saw their video. I get a call from Sanaa's dad, my mentor, [Peabody and Tony award-winning producer] Stan Lathan, and he says I was damaging his daughter by putting her through this.
Epps: My youngest daughter's 15. I thought that it was so nice to have the co-star come and be supportive. If you really look at the very end, you can see me start to smile because Sanaa had finally gotten it away from me, legit. We were just having fun.
They've become archetypes, inspirations and representatives of lives we knew but had rarely seen onscreen. At one point we were on a track and just started sprinting against each other.
At first I balked but ended up [shooting additional footage]. Prince-Bythewood, a former UCLA track runner who played basketball in high school, was working as a TV writer in the mid-1990s. [Like when Gabrielle Union, who played Shawnee -- who was dating Quincy at the time -- says to Monica,] "I didn't know Nike made dresses," at the dance.
But at the same time, we were still kids. In the original draft, I was much harder on the mother character. 3,013,904 people have viewed the couple's, Chris Pizzello/Associated Press/Associated Press. Truly one of the best moments of my life. Lena even finds Monica a college friend to take her to her spring dance. "My other friend, Clive Daniels, he was the one who passed me the ring. "Yeah, it was cute," Dorsett said in between chuckles.
What a dummy I was! My dad was my biggest cheerleader. First-time filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood's film joins such films as The Best Man and The Wood, which look for the class, not the crass, in African American life. I might even beat you and maybe I'll kiss you, but first I'm going to knock you down. With this film, I was just grateful to breathe the fresh, normal air of a society that wasn't traumatized in that way.
How many women? By 1998, Monica is playing in the new WNBA with Quincy and their newborn daughter cheering. We'd almost be taking "When Harry Met Sally" and saying, "When are we going to see that sequel?" Meshell Ndegeocello, artist of "Fool of Me," which plays over this scene: I'm happy that song was in Gina's orbit and she felt it fit. We came from generations of strivers.
I said, "That should be a compliment, not given an R, because now girls can't see this.
Even in high school, when I would go to the gym, I'd play guys who don't want a girl on their team. But she longed to tell a semi-autobiographical story about a female baller. Diamond DeShields, 2019 WNBA All-Star, Chicago Sky guard: I admired seeing an African American love story. She made sure we all looked the part. Nevertheless, it grossed $27.7 million worldwide on a production budget of $14–20 million.
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