The film spans through roughly thirteen years of friendship between childhood sweethearts Monica Wright and Quincy McCall. The film is split into four quarters. In the first part, Monica and her family move to Los Angeles in 1981 from Atlanta, Georgia and become acquainted with their new neighbors the McCalls. The McCalls are a wealthy family because Quincy’s father, Zeke, is the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers. Quincy and Monica are drawn to each other and share a passion for basketball.
The second quarter begins in 1988. Monica and Quincy, still friends, are the respective leaders of their high school teams. Scouts have clearly taken notice of Quincy, and many see him as one of the top prospects in the country. His popularity is evident on and off the court; he becomes a heartthrob to several girls who attend his school. Monica, on the other hand, struggles with her fiery emotions on the court. This issues hinders her performance to the point that scouts turn away from her. She also struggles with the feelings she secretly still harbors for Quincy. Her relationship with her mother Camille, who for years has tried unsuccessfully to get Monica to be more feminine, is severely strained. Monica resists the efforts because she thinks her mother is too weak and submissive. Meanwhile, the relationship between Quincy’s parents has slowly begun to deteriorate as “late work nights” cause Quincy’s mother to suspect Zeke of infidelity. As time passes, Monica learns to control her emotions and leads her team to the state championship game, where her team falls short of victory. She recovers from the loss with the help of her older sister, Lena, who gives her a makeover and finds an attractive college friend to take her to the spring dance. At the dance, Monica and Quincy find themselves jealously glancing at each other and their respective dates. Later that night, after the dance, they speak to each other outside Monica’s window and reveal to each other how their dates did not fulfill their desires. She tells him that she has received a letter from USC and insists he opens it. After the letter reveals that she has been accepted, he proclaims that USC was also his top choice. As they reach to congratulate one another with a hug, their lips meet in a kiss. They finally acknowledge their true feelings for each other and have sex for the first time.
The third quarter follows Quincy and Monica during their freshman year at USC, where they are athletes, students, and a couple. While Quincy is an instant hit with female followers and scouts alike. In contrast, Monica struggles to get playing time. Quincy’s life, though, is not trouble-free. His relationship with Monica starts to unravel as he struggles to deal with the media attention surrounding a paternity suit filed by a former lover against his father. Feeling betrayed, Quincy threatens to leave school early for the NBA. At the end of the season, Monica finally snags the starting point guard spot. However, Quincy decides to break up with Monica because he thinks she did not provide him enough support during his crisis. He declares himself open for the NBA draft.
The fourth quarter takes place during the early 1990s, a few years before the establishment of the WNBA. Monica’s professional basketball prospects lie exclusively in the International Women’s Basketball Association. She lives inBarcelona, Spain, where she is a local sports celebrity and the focal point of her team’s offense. Though she leads her team to a championship, she realizes she has lost her love for the game. Meanwhile, Quincy is spending his fifth year in the NBA (also his fifth year since leaving USC) as a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers, rarely receiving time on the court. During a Lakers blowout win, Quincy injures himself in a slam dunk attempt. His parents, now divorced, attend to him at the hospital. When Monica hears about Quincy’s injury, she immediately flies home to see him. After she learns that Quincy is engaged and meets his fiancée, Kyra, Monica realizes that her feelings for Quincy have never been truer and that she is still in love with him.
Over the next few months, Quincy undergoes rehabilitation as the day of his wedding draws closer. By this time, Monica has decided to quit basketball. When Quincy asks why, she states that it is no longer fun for her. Quincy replies that he never knew anyone who loved basketball as much as she did. Interestingly enough, Monica’s own mother, who for so long did not understand Monica’s love of the game, encourages her not to give up on it. Later on, Quincy and Monica meet up once again as friends and reminisce over their shared past. Once Quincy has fully recovered from his injury, Monica, acting on her feelings, issues an ultimatum. She challenges him to one final game on the court. If he loses, he must call off the wedding and choose Monica; if not, he marries his fiancée. Quincy accepts the challenge and goes on to narrowly defeat Monica. He realizes, though, that he can no longer stand being apart from Monica and chooses her anyway. The film then fast-for
↧
Love and Basketball (2000)
↧