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(About Our Ads) "LOVE AND BASKETBALL" (2000) (Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Mild Heavy None None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None Minor Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Mild Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama: Two next-door neighbors, both talented basketball players since they were eleven-years-old, find their passion for each other and succeeding at the sport they love challenged as they make their way through high school, college and the pros. PLOT: It's 1981 and 11-year-old Monica Wright (KYLA PRATT) has just moved into a new neighborhood with her sister and parents, Camille (ALFRE WOODARD), a stay at home mom, and Nathan (HARRY J. LENNIX), a banker. A tomboy to the heart, Monica wants nothing to do with being a prissy girl and instead immediately clashes with Quincy McCall (GLENNDON CHATMAN), her new 11-year-old next-door neighbor and son of Nona (DEBBI MORGAN) and Zeke (DENNIS HAYSBERT), a pro basketball player. Competitive from the start, the two youngsters become lose acquaintances. Years later in high school, both Monica (SANAA LATHAN) and Quincy (OMAR EPPS) are stars of their respective basketball teams. Despite their continued competition, however, the two eventually become a romantic item. It's then off to USC on basketball scholarships for both of them, although as the star freshman player, he has a much easier time than she does as the only freshman on the women's team where she must prove her worth. As time then passes and various achievements and complications arise in their lives, Monica and Quincy must figure out their futures and their relationship as they soon learn that everything's fair in love and basketball. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into basketball or are fans of anyone in the cast, they just might (although this one seems appealing at most to older teens). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexuality and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: OMAR EPPS plays a young man whose focus on making it in basketball drives much of his life. He does ends up dropping out of college to turn pro, uses some profanity, sleeps with Monica and then later cheats on her or fakes doing so to make her jealous. SANAA LATHAN plays his girlfriend, another competitive basketball player who has to work harder than him to succeed at her goals. Along the way, she uses some profanity and sleeps with Quincy in her parent's house on the eve of becoming his girlfriend. DENNIS HAYSBERT plays Quincy's pro basketball father, a man who tries to guide his son to focus on getting a good education. He does cheat on Quincy's mother, however, and uses some profanity. ALFRE WOODARD plays Monica's stay at home mom who doesn't understand her daughter and her need to be and act differently than most other girls/young women. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated drama. Profanity is rated as heavy due to 1 use of the "f" word, while other profanities and some colorful phrases also occur. Some of them and other comments are sexual in nature, while the two leads have sex in a sensuous, but not outrageously explicit encounter in her bed in her parents' house. Other sex is heard (from parents) and the two leads play a game of strip basketball (although no nudity is seen). Varying degrees of bad attitudes are present from various characters, including a husband who cheats on his wife and lies about it (thus causing tense family moments). Beyond that, some drinking and brief, partial drunkenness, and some mild violence (kids pushing other kids, a slap or two), the rest of the film's remaining categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable content. Even so, should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our more detailed content listings. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Zeke has a beer in a bar. Mona has a drink. Students drink at a campus party, where Quincy has several beers and seems somewhat intoxicated. Zeke and others have beer in a bar. BLOOD/GORE Young Monica has a slightly bloody cut on her face after Quincy pushes her to the ground when they're kids. We hear the sound of Quincy's leg breaking (or something similar when he lands hard on the basketball court - but don't see anything bloody or gory). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Young Quincy tells young Monica that girls can't play basketball and then one of the boys call her a "dog." When Monica states that she's going to be in the NBA, Quincy says that she won't and that she'll be a cheerleader instead. He then pushes her to the ground. Later, when Monica decides she doesn't want to be Quincy's "girl," he calls her an "ugly dog" and pushes her to the ground again. In a high school game, Monica gives an intimidating look at another player (but gets a technical foul for doing so and her coach keeps her out of the rest of the game). Some of Monica's college teammates are mean/demeaning toward her in a hazing type of fashion (since she's the new kid on the block), with one of them not liking Monica because she threatens her position on the team). We learn that Zeke has been having an affair behind Mona's back and that Zeke lied to Quincy about that. Quincy gets mad at Monica for not being able to stay up with him and talk about his parents' problems (she has a coach-imposed curfew). He then either fakes cheating on her with another girl to get Monica's attention and/or make her jealous, or really does have an affair. Monica is somewhat demeaning to her mother. Monica tells Quincy that she still loves him despite knowing that he's to be married in two weeks (thus creating conflict and confusion in him). FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Big ass t*tties," "Shut up," "Bitching," "Stupid," "You ugly dog," "You suck," "Booty" (for a guy's rear end), "Ho'" (whore), "We're going to kick some butt," "Balls" (testicles), "Punk," "Don't you know you're sloppy seconds" (not intended sexually), "Kiss my black ass," "Cocky bitch," "Kiss my ass" and "Cheap ass." While lovers, Monica and Quincy play a game of strip basketball (a score means the opponent has to remove some clothing). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has the lyrics, "let's make love tonight," another has "that we made love," while some rap songs play that include lyrics that can't be understood. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 10 "s" words, 3 slang terms for sex ("ball," "bone" and "boning"), 1 slang term for female genitals ("cootchie"), 1 slang term for breasts ("t*tties"), 15 asses, 15 damns and 2 uses of "G-damn" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Young Quincy hears what sound like muffled sexual sounds (including "Oh baby," etc.) coming from his parents' bedroom. In high school and after her mother states that she hopes Monica will grow out of her "tomboy" phase, Monica responds that she won't because she's a lesbian (she's joking). Monica's sister shows some cleavage. A female student comments on Quincy's "booty" and makes a comment about licking the sweat off it (or something like that). A comment is then made about that student having "big ass t*tties." Monica later comments on this woman sending her "cootchie" through the mail (since a letter to Quincy from her stated that she'd leave him "satisfied") and quotes this student saying, "I want to ball" (have sex). She then adds to Quincy, "But I guess you'll stick your thing in anything." Quincy's mom confronts him with a girl's earring she found (suggesting he was fooling around with some girl) and his mom then warns him about those "fat assed girls" who see dollar signs when they see him (and thus want to get him "caught" by getting pregnant by him). Quincy's date at a dance wears a low-cut dress that shows cleavage. At that dance, the students do some close dancing that includes suggestively rubbing their bodies against each other. After the dance, Monica wonders if Quincy's date left him "satisfied," but it turns out nothing happened, while she talks about her date with a college student who was "feeling on me." Monica and Quincy briefly make out on the ground between their homes and he runs his hand along her clothed body, but she then stops them, only to tell him to follow her into her bedroom. He does and we then see him pull down her dress straps (he's shirtless and then looks down at her presumably bare breasts, but we don't see them). He then pulls down his pants and she looks at his crotch and has a pleasantly surprised look on her face. She then takes off her dress and he gets on top of her on her bed with her hand and arm covering her bare breasts. He then pulls out a condom and puts it on (we don't see anything explicit) and we then see her reaction to him entering her as they have sex in a head and shoulders shot (our perspective of their encounter). The scene is very sensuous. While lovers, Monica and Quincy play a game of strip basketball (a score means the opponent has to remove some clothing). Eventually he's shirtless and we see her in her bra. He then takes off his shorts (we see him in his boxers) and the two then make out against a wall (after he supposedly took off those boxers). After drinking at a party, Quincy feels Monica's clothed butt. During an argument, Quincy asks Monica if basketball is all that she cares about, "Why are you boning me? Why don't you bone Dick Vitale?" We may have seen a partial and very brief glimpse of Quincy's butt in a hospital gown. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Nona and Zeke have some tense family moments when she argues with him that he needs to spend more time with his family. Later, they're fighting so much that Quincy goes over to Monica's and sleeps on her floor (and by the routine of that behavior, it's implied he's done that before due to such fighting). We learn that Zeke has been having an affair behind Mona's back and that Zeke lied to Quincy about that. Quincy is then mad at his father for both. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The differences between men and women's sports in high school, college and on the professional level. Quincy's reaction and treatment toward Monica in college (essentially cheating on her or acting like he's cheating on her). VIOLENCE Young Quincy pushes young Monica to the ground, resulting in a bloody cut on her face. Young Quincy does the same again, but this time she then returns the push and the two then get into a struggling match on the ground. Monica punches Quincy in the arm. Mona throws a watch or bracelet (or something similar) and hits Zeke with it. Monica pushes Quincy during an argument. Monica's mother slaps her. Reviewed April 7, 2000 / Posted April 21, 2000