Just Wright is a romantic sports comedy that attempts to fuse both the sensibilities of Queen Latifah fans with basketball lovers. The concept in essence is the perfect marketing ploy, combining a romantic comedy for the female demographic contrasted by a sports backdrop that appeals to a male audience. Worked for Love and Basketball right? Well, unfortunately it fails terribly in Just Wright, a predictable overly long unfunny ‘rom com’ that ends up alienating both audiences its targeting. It’s not just problems with the script or setting, but also weak chemistry between the trio of leads, lackluster direction and over the top cliches that make this film painful to watch.
Queen Latifah plays a physical therapist by the name of Leslie Wright, whose pretty similar to nearly every character we’ve seen her play, a tough but lovable woman who just can’t seem to find the ‘Wright’ man in her life. The Queen is down on her luck with men and money, made painfully obvious by the broken down car she drives around. She lives with her childhood friend Morgan, played by bombshell Paula Patton, who is the ultimate contrast to Latifah’s down to earth tomboy nature. One magical night after witnessing the magic of NBA superstar Scott McKnight at a Nets game, Leslie Wright finds herself face to face with the man of her dreams. Did their names really have to rhyme like that?
But things don’t go as planned for Leslie, as her b-ball crush becomes entangled by Morgan, whose been studying the techniques for trapping a NBA player and is ready to snag McKnight before Leslie has a chance to make a move. As their relationship evolves, Lesile watches from the sidelines happy for her best friend’s newfound love but secretly envying her role in Scott’s life. Her parents played by veteran actors Pam Grier and James Pickens, Jr. offer tidbits of advice akin to lame Hallmark cards and barely have any screen time to make much of a dent in the film. Similarly misused is Phylicia Rashad who plays Common’s mother and is given even less to work with, placing the emphasis on our three lead characters who just cannot hold the film together.
Queen Latifah, drawing on her uniquely charming and charismatic self, is really the only positive in this film. Her smile and emotions are genuine and it’s the one anchor the audience has to grasp onto for a few chuckles. The same cannot be said for her man Common, who in his first leading role falls flat as the compassionate pro athlete. He’s more believable in the music video-esque basketball montages that really only serve as an extended commercial for the NBA. The film is directed by Sanaa Hamri (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) whose background in music videos should be apparent by her lack of attention to the character’s emotions and absurd plot details. To make things worse, the film drags on way too long. Towards the 90 minute mark, plot points from the beginning of the film repeat for another half hour, beating the beauty isn’t always skin deep message to death. Despite its good intentions, Just Wright just can’t help feeling just wrong.
4 out of 10.
What did you think of Just Wright?