Cinema

For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.

I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND ME BRINGING ALONG MY GOD SISTER TO THE PARTY?: Leslie (Queen Latifah, left), who has a crush on Scott (Common), is talking to him at his birthday party. Even though Scott had only invited Leslie to the party, she took the liberty of inviting her god sister Morgan (Paula Patton, not shown) to also come. Big mistake — once there, Morgan proceeded to make a big play for Scott, and ended up stealing him away from Leslie.

Just Wright: Just Right Mix of Love and Basketball in Romantic Comedy

Kam Williams

How do you make a movie that feels fresh even though it follows a fairly transparent formula for a romantic comedy? Ask Sanaa Hamri, she achieved this with her 2006 directorial debut, Something New. She’s done it again with Just Wright, a syrupy-sweet love story that is guaranteed to leave you in tears as the closing credits roll, even though there’s never a doubt about how it will all end.

The picture stars Queen Latifah as Leslie Wright, a physical therapist and lifelong New Jersey Nets fan. She’s obsessed with the team because as a child, her father (James Pickens, Jr.) took her to the Nets’s basketball games as a substitute for the son he never had. Consequently, now that Leslie’s 35-years-old, she still goes regularly to the Nets’s games wearing her jeans and a Nets jersey.

Although her father has no problems with his daughter’s casual attire, the unflattering look doesn’t sit well with her mother (Pam Grier) who’s concerned because her daughter is still not married. However, the same can’t be said about Leslie’s god-sister, Morgan (Paula Patton). This shameless gold-digger could care less about the NBA, nonetheless she spends countless hours primping in front of the mirror with hopes to attract the interest of a wealthy all-star player.

The most eligible bachelor on the Nets’s squad is point guard Scott McNight (Common) a two-time league MVP and a perfect gentleman to boot. Leslie and Scott’s paths cross the night of the season opener, not at the stadium, but purely by chance after the game when they both stop to fill their tanks at the same gas station. She strikes up a conversation, sparks fly, and he invites her to his birthday party.

Against her better judgment, Leslie extends the invitation to Morgan, who then catches Scott’s attention at the soirée, and it’s not long before she has an engagement ring on her finger. The plot thickens when Scott sustains a career threatening knee injury in a game and needs months of rehabilitation. Since Leslie is the only female therapist that Morgan trusts not to sabotage her impending wedding — which she sees as a big payday for her — she recommends that Scott use Leslie as his rehabilitation therapist.

Will Scott realize which of the two women love’s him for himself, and which is a shallow witch who’s only interested in his bank account? The only surprise here is that, in spite of telegraphing its punches, Just Wright nonetheless has you reaching for a tissue in spite of yourself.

A sentimental soap opera that pushes all the right emotional buttons.

Excellent (4 stars). Rated PG for mild epithets and suggestive material. Running time: 101 Minutes. Distributor: Fox Searchlight.

For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.

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