Gina Prince-Bythewood; a former college athlete; puts a spin on this one-on-one tale of Love and Basketball. Sanaa Lathan (The Best Man) is the fiercely driven; hot-tempered Monica; a tomboy who gives her all for basketball. Omar Epps (The Mod Squad) is Quincy; an NBA player's son who has pro dreams of his own. Next-door neighbors since first grade; they start as rivals (she flabbergasts the boy by outplaying him in a game of driveway pickup) and age into best friends and lovers. The romantic complications follow a familiar game plan; but the film throws a fascinating spotlight onto the contrast between men's and women's basketball. While Quincy plays college ball on huge courts to cheering; sold-out crowds; we see Monica's sweat; tears; and sheer physical dedication in front of tiny audiences in small gyms and second-rate auditoriums.

The story is pointedly set in the late 1980s; years before the establishment of the WNBA; so Monica's prospects for pro ball lie exclusively in Europe; while Quincy steps into the pros at home. It's a pleasure to see a character as passionate and fully developed as Monica; and Lathan gives a fiery portrayal (she had never played ball before the film; but you'd never tell from her performance). Prince-Bythewood favors her struggle over Quincy's and opens our eyes to her unique challenges with a sharp; savvy contrast. Alfre Woodard costars as Monica's harping mom (always trying to get her to be more ladylike) and Dennis Haysbert is Quincy's philandering father. Hoops fan Spike Lee produced. --Sean Axmaker