LOVE & BASKETBALL

Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) are two childhood friends who both aspire to be professional basketball players. Quincy, whose father, Zeke (Dennis Haysbert), plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, is a natural talent and a born leader. Monica is ferociously competitive but sometimes becomes overly emotional on the court. Over the years, the two begin to fall for each other, but their separate paths to basketball stardom threaten to pull them apart.

The feature film directorial debut of Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of 2022’s The Woman King, Love & Basketball has achieved modern-classic status (and a recent addition to the Criterion Collection) thanks to its strong direction, fantastic supporting cast — including Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Haysbert, and Tyra Banks — and multi-dimensional characters, making it a fantastic kick-off to February.