The first sports-and-romance movie I can think of in which the female lead is also a gifted athlete instead of a glorified cheerleader, Love & Basketball is an inspired labor of love from first-time writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who sets her story in the competitive world of college basketball. After growing up together and succumbing to romantic chemistry in high school, the heavily-recruited wunderkind (Omar Epps) and the talented but temper-prone women's team second-stringer (Sanaa Lathan) find their love challenged by, among other things, the stresses of the game. Strongly-drawn characters and snappy, vigorously cinematic game sequences carry the picture through its forgivable rookie filmmaking foibles. A strong, optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)
Love & Basketball
New Line, 127 min., PG-13, VHS: $69.50, DVD: $24.98, Oct. 10 Vol. 15, Issue 5
Love & Basketball
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