Love & Basketball
Short description
Love & Basketball follows Monica Wright and Quincy McCall, who grow up as neighbors in Los Angeles and share a passion for basketball that shapes both their lives. Quincy wants to follow his father into professional play, while Monica trains just as hard for a career of her own. Their friendship turns into romance, but the pressures of the sport and their separate paths through school and college pull them apart, leaving them to weigh ambition against the bond between them.
The film was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, marking her feature debut. It stars Sanaa Lathan as Monica and Omar Epps as Quincy, with Kyla Pratt as the young Monica and Alfre Woodard and Regina Hall among the supporting cast. Spike Lee and Sam Kitt produced it.
Made for about 20 million dollars, it earned roughly 28 million worldwide on its release in April 2000. On IMDb it holds a 7.4 rating from 479 votes, while the critics' score is 6.8 from 114 reviews, so audiences rate it slightly higher than reviewers do. The director's later work includes The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights, The Old Guard, The Woman King and the upcoming Children of Blood and Bone.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene in which Monica develops a scar on her face was added to the script because the actress playing the role, Sanaa Lathan, has a scar on her face in real life.
- Producer Spike Lee insisted that the actress playing the lead role be able to play basketball. In search of such an actress, director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood reviewed over 700 candidates, including actresses, professional athletes, and girls with no acting experience. Eventually, she narrowed it down to Sanaa Lathan and basketball player Nisha Butler. Before evaluating them and making a final choice, Prince-Bythewood arranged basketball coaching for the former and acting classes for the latter.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
