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Love & Basketball (2000)
Predictable but enjoyable basketball movie
It's basketball playoff time! The New York Knicks are once again in the thick of the title hunt, and Spike Lee, Knick fan No. 1, can be found on the sideline, cheering on his team. Lee has become famous not only for his skills as a film director ("Do the Right Thing"), but also for his basketball passion (1998's "He Got Game"), and prominent role on the sideline. So it doesn't come as a surprise that Lee co-produced the new basketball film, "Love & Basketball."
The movie tells the story of Quincy McCall (Omar Epps), son of an NBA player, and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan). In the first quarter, they meet as kids who become new neighbors. To Quincy's amazement, she can play ball better than most boys, which leads them to a competitive bet on who will turn professional first. The second quarter takes the friends to high school, where Monica gains the reputation of a tomboy who can't get a date for the seniors' dance, while Q has his choice of friends (and girls), but displays somewhat poor taste. He changes his mind about Monica when they move on to the third quarter, college life. Their relationship, rooted in their love for the game, prospers as their skills improve. Soon, they have to start choosing between the love for their game and for each other. Quincy's troubles on the home front further complicate things, and eventually, they both move on and try to carve out a living at the pro level. Their fourth quarters lead them to different parts of the world, before they meet each other again. Now they face a decision that determines the outcome of this "Love & Basketball" game.
Instead of directing the movie himself, Spike Lee helped to develop young talent: black director Gina Prince-Bythewood responded with an admirable debut. She managed to create an engaging and honest film about the relationship, development, and challenges of a young black couple. The cast also rises to the same level, most of all with the lead performances of Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. They both deliver good games and manage to feed off each other both on and off the court. Especially Sanaa Lathan seems a rising star who will certainly be seen and heard more of in her cinematic future. Maybe what makes the movie most credible: The shooting locations. Real-life powerhouse Crenshaw High in Los Angeles was used as the high school, and close-by Southern Cal, a prominent basketball program, was a perfect fit for the college quarter of the movie. Even the woman's basketball league, WNBA, and the NBA agreed to lend their names to the movie. Interestingly, a college assistant coach from local rival UCLA was hired as a basketball advisor and coach. A segment of the film was even shot in Barcelona, Spain, all contributing to "Love & Basketball" being a successful successor of "He Got Game" with an added feminist twist.
Unfortunately, the real-life image doesn't exclude one of the more negative aspects of basketball that didn't really have anything to do in this movie. Both in the locker room and during the romantic scenes, Monica's Nike sports bra gets considerably more screen time than even Brandi Chastaine's at last summer's Soccer World Cup. The small Nike symbol is placed subtly but noticeably throughout the movie, raising the question if the sports company sponsored the film budget to gain a small advantage in the hard-fought basketball (sneaker) market. On another downside, the plot of "Love & Basketball" remains rather predictable: The audience knows the outcome far ahead of the buzzer.
However, as basketball fans know, even games that fail to deliver the upset win, or that are not decided at the buzzer, can be a lot of fun to watch.
The Beach (2000)
A movie only for die-hard Leo fans
The last time most moviegoers saw Leonardo DiCaprio, he was Jack, frozen to death next to a sinking Titanic and a shivering Rose. It took the currents two years to carry him to Thailand and wash him ashore on "The Beach," which supposedly represents heaven or paradise. At the end of this film, two realizations dawn on the audience: Paradise doesn't exist. And the currents didn't do anyone a favor when defrosting DiCaprio and returning him to the screen.
This time, "Leo" returns as Richard, an American who cuts all ties to explore the world and find adventure. Thailand seems the perfect place for him, with bustling streets, exotic beaches, and like-minded adventurous people. Initially, the film seems to pose the question of the purpose of traveling: Are we open-minded explorers, or just tourists looking for the familiar? And it comes up with an answer surprisingly critical of the nation that, thanks to McDonald's and Coke, has made it easy to settle for the familiar abroad. The adventurers in this movie come from England, France, or Scandinavia, rather than from America. Unfortunately, this challenge of the usual expectations of traveling already presents the only truly provoking thought.
In Thailand, Richard dives into the life of the street and meets fellow adventurers. One of them, Daffy, worn out by drugs and sun, tells him a story about a mysterious beach on an unpopulated island. Robert Carlyle, as Daffy, is a perfect cast; his role appears hardly different from the villain in the last James Bond movie. Before he commits suicide, he provides Richard with a map of this secret island. After convincing a French couple, Etienne and Francoise, to join him, the three set out on a dangerous journey to the hidden place. Upon their arrival, they find a small community of adventurers fulfilling their own dreams of paradise. A set of rules regulate their everyday life, mainly stressing the importance of the secret of its existence; overpopulation would endanger their small world. Predictably, rules are broken, and the realization that heaven doesn't exist, and paradise can turn into a nightmare, is so trivial that it's hard to believe this provides the only message of "The Beach."
The characters' preoccupation with the bright side of life stands out in the film. Beautiful nature (Thailand can expect a rise in tourists next summer), beautiful women (Virginie Ledoyen convinces as Kate Winslet's successor), and drug use make up the main part of the movie. At least the latter doesn't come as a surprise: director Danny Boyle is best known for his film "Trainspotting." The director's influence on "The Beach" remains, however, almost invisible, because it's "Leo time": DiCaprio's handprint is all over the movie. With confidential and superfluous addresses to the viewer, he draws him on his side, makes him a companion. Stealing a girlfriend, cheating, breaking the rules of the community, lying, and ultimately being responsible for the death of about half a dozen people makes for an impressive list of immoral achievements. Yet DiCaprio is cast as hero from beginning to end. The producers seemed to think that, just by being "Leo," he would get away with it.
Maybe the concept works for the huge teen fan base he has attracted since Titanic. A more mature audience, however, has to question the morality presented in "The Beach," and wonder what else DiCaprio will try to get away with . Wherever he will be washed ashore in his next movie - after "The Beach," he won't be able to rely on past credits anymore.