Classic Sh*t: Love & Basketball

Ask a young Black female their favorite movie and 7 times out of 10, they will say Love and Basketball. Love and Basketball is a classic movie amongst African Americans! It is a beautiful story of Black Love and the trials and tribulations that arise when pursuing your goals. This movie may not have been recognized and renowned as great by the general public but in the Black community, it will forever be a favorite. So, I've decided to compose a list of why my favorite movie is so great


The People
Now I mean the cast AND the creators. First off, the cast is incredible, starring Sanaa Lathan and sexy ass Omar Epps as the stars, and supported by a host of other Black actors and actresses, including Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Tyra Banks, Dennis Haysbert, Debbie Morgan, Kyla Pratt, Gabrielle Union, and Boris Kodjoe. Also, the director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood did an EXCELLENT job across the board (not to mention another African American woman woop woop!) as well as producer Spike Lee. Shit was bound to be epic.


The Soundtrack
This soundtrack was so perfect! They played the perfect songs at the perfect times. At the beginning of the movie they play Chaka Khan Sweet Thing , which also represents the decade in which the movie begins. As it transitions into the 2nd quarter of the movie and into the 1980's, the scene begins with MC Lyte's Light As A Rock to showcase Monica's skills and Kool Moe Dee's I Go To Work to showcase Q's. Then they play Zapp and Roger "I Wanna Be Your Man" at their homecoming dance and Maxwell's A Woman's Work as she loses her virginity. Then even at the end when they are playing one-on-one, "Fool of Me by Me'Shell NdegeOcello sets the perfect tone. It was just masterful, the way the songs matched the scenes in this movie AND they were actually good songs!


Themes
Now this is the deep shit. This movie addressed so many themes and patterns, I found it genius how Prince-Bythewood was able to portray so many messages, directly and indirectly through her film.

So there's some feminist issues addressed in this movie. The role of a woman and how she should behave, even in a competitive atmosphere. Monica expressed early on in the movie how she was expected to not "talk smack" or get passionate on the court because she is supposed to "behave like a lady". We even see gender roles addressed as we look at the relationship between Monica and her mother. Monica and her mom are on opposite ends of the spectrum; Monica is pursuing this extravagant goal of becoming the first woman in the NBA (because the WNBA wasn't around when she grew up) while her mom is a prissy housewife who tends to the house, her husband, and children. This difference strains their relationship! Even just the contrast between the # in attendance at the Men's and Women's games' shows that women weren't expected to be in competitive sports. At the beginning, young Q says "Girls can't play no ball!" This idea of what is expected of a woman and the barriers that women actively pursuing professional jobs outside of the home face is still an issue today, even as gender roles become more ambiguous.

Building off the topic of gender roles, its also interesting to see the character of Q play out throughout the movie. Now, as a woman, I can't explore and identify with all the issues Q faces as a Black man (cuz whaadya know I'm not a Black man), but I do notice the issues of pride and identity. I mean, Q went from being a superstar to an injured nobody. There's this pride issue of not being that star anymore and taking the "backseat" to your wife as the WNBA star, which I know many men would feel uncomfortable doing. Also, Q searching for his identity after being disappointed by his father and idol and ultimately finding that support and love with Monica, which is beautifully analagous to the role of man and woman in love, in my opinion at least. I believe men NEED the support and love of a supportive and loving woman, so they can feel secure in establishing and owning their identity. For Omar Epps to take on this role and still come off as a strong, secure, confident man is about as sexy as it gets.

 

Then there's the theme of love in this movie. What woman wouldn't love a movie that shows a woman marrying her childhood love AND still accomplishing her ultimate goal?! Fucking beautiful. But I got a little deeper with this too. See Prince-Blythewood clearly wanted to portray some messages in her film. I noticed that throughout the movie, Monica did not interact sexually/emotionally with ANY OTHER man except Q. She lost her virginity to him and there was no indication in the movie that she ever dealt with anyone else in college or in Spain when she played overseas. I thought this was a powerful message! This is a woman who not only FOUGHT for the man she loved, but also remained devoted and true to her heart. LOVE AND LOYALTY DAWG!! This is what Black Love is missing nowadays. Also, as a woman not playing into her traditonal gender role, Monica portrayed her vulnerability as a woman so well at the end of the movie, professing her love for a man that is about to get married and putting her shit on the line. Monica is portrayed as a truly virtuous (in the relationship/sexual context) woman yet still strong, courageous, and independent.

Another great thing that Prince-Bythewood does is portray the Black family in a way that other writers and directors do not. We see not one but TWO affluent Black families in this movie. They are living in a California suburb in huge houses married and successful. The father figures are active in the children's life, even when Q's family breaks up do to his father's cheating. Q's mother isn't like the Basketball Wives you see on tv; she is domestic, loving, but a bit feisty when she needs to be still. Monica's family seems damn near picture perfect, with a father working a corporate job, supporting his wife and daughters, whom both go on to college. It's nice to see a movie with a predominantly Black cast portraying affluent members in society versus oppressed and dysfunctional (i.e. Boyz N The Hood, Set It Off, Menace to Society).

So why do women love this movie? BECAUSE WE WIN!!! Women are winning in this movie and that doesn't always happen. And I don't mean winning like she got married to a rich man #winning. She not only married her childhood love, she's living her childhood dream out completely!! She is in the WNBA playing basketball professionally married to the love of her life, whom she grew up next to and lost her virginity to. Women are winning in this movie because Monica is a beautiful, college educated professional. Women are winning in this movie because Monica respected her body and stayed true to one man. Women are winning in this movie because she didn't have to choose between love and her career, which is what society tells EVERY WOMAN they must do. Women are winning in this movie because Monica is true to her self.

This is why we looovvveeee Love and Basketball.

PEACE