Chief physical therapist and New Jersey Nets fan Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) has been unlucky in love. Having heard all the “it’s not you, it’s me” lines from a history of first dates she decides to hold out for the guy who cannot live without her and whom she cannot live without. She has a thriving career, recently purchased a house to fix up, is proud of her beat up car and is a sure, confident woman. Basically, she’s the character we’ve seen her play in multiple roles before this one. Her cousin, Morgan (Paula Patton), is young, beautiful and foolish with lavish dreams of becoming an NBA player’s wife.
At a chance encounter at a gas station, Leslie meets basketball hero and Nets player, Scott McKnight (Common). Scott learns that she’s a huge fan and invites her to his upcoming birthday celebration. What? Really? When in the world does this happen? At the party, Morgan and Scott meet, suddenly all of her dreams come true (as seen in one of many montages that happen in this picture). Unfortunately, in the All-Star game Scott is injured therefore out the remainder of the season, with little hope of returning to the sport. Morgan begs Leslie to be the live-in physical therapist to get him back to the NBA (insert another movie montage here).
A friendship develops between Scott and Leslie and if you know how most Cinderella stories end, then you know how the rest of this film will play out…though there are a few unexpected moments sprinkled throughout. Having the pre-conceived idea that I would not enjoy this movie I was taken aback when I found myself cheering for Queen Latifah’s character and wishing that Common were as good an actor as he is a rapper. He does a great job portraying the successful NBA all-star but when there is more to a scene than a video montage; his acting chops don’t hold a candle to his smooth swagger and impressive wardrobe. Paula Patton as Morgan is beyond brilliant, she plays the clueless fame hungry part to perfection. Her outfits were amazing, her shopping sprees outrageous and her gold digging tactics educational. Queen Latifah does a good job playing a part full of heart and can-do attitude; I have a feeling if I hadn’t seen this performance before I would have thought it was a job well done. It was fun to see the actual basketball stars and famous faces in the crowd during the game scenes and I loved the surprise of seeing Phylicia Rashad (you know her as Clair Huxtable from the hit series The Cosby Show) as mom to Common’s NBA superstar. Though this is a predictable film with semi-good acting, something tells me that it is one that I will watch again as a guilty pleasure.
Video: (2.40:1 Widescreen)
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio)
The One You Can’t Live Without (6:57): The concept for this film came into play two or three years ago after Queen Latifah wrapped BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE but took some time to get into the works as the they wanted to do this story right. Interviews with director Sanaa Hamri, various NBA stars, Queen Latifah,and Common to name a few.
Common on the Fast Break (5:04): This feature shows us how Common got ready to take on the role of a hot shot NBA player and his love for the sport. Interesting to learn that he was a ball boy for the Chicago Bulls, and met Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Byrd to name a few players.
When Amazing Happens (6:42): A look into sports movies and how the creators of this picture didn’t want to have a fictional league so with the help of a few NBA franchises and some all-stars, and some ESPN faces they were able to put together a real sports film.
Gag Reel (2:39): This is not a good gag reel…except for the random moment with Jimmy Fallon that was not in the final cut of the film. That made me snort-laugh.
Live Extras: Get access to various theatrical trailers and interviews from other films if your Blu-ray is connected to the internet.
