OBS at the Movies

JUST WRIGHT

Review by Ron Covington

Directed by: Sanaa Hamri

Written by: Michael Elliot

Starring:

Queen Latifah ... Leslie Wright

Common ... Scott McKnight

Paula Patton ... Morgan Alexander

James Pickens Jr. ... Lloyd Wright

Phylicia Rashad ... Ella McKnight

Pam Grier ... Janice Wright

Romantic comedies are not normally the biggest thrill for me. By nature they are predictable and lack that true air of mystery to satisfy an intrigue junkie like myself. However, there is a major audience for fun, feel good love stories. It’s just that I go in with the feeling I already know the end so the entertainment value has got to be in the details of the journey. Then I found out Debra Martin Chase, the producer that has an instinct for creating successful female driven (many of them for ‘tweens and teens) projects, had a hand in the film. This woman knows how to play ball so I was really interested to see how JUST WRIGHT dribbled down court.

The story concerns Leslie Wright, a successful physical therapist and avid New Jersey Nets fan who is also the “best friend home-girl” type who never seems to end up with Prince Charming or MC Prince Charming. She lives in a fixer-upper with her supportive, loving parents (a still majestic Pam Grier and James Pickens Jr.) and gorgeous but vacuous God-sister/best friend, Morgan (a talented and yes, gorgeous Paula Patton). By chance Leslie meets superstar baller, Scott McKnight at a gas station. After showing him the location of the gas tank on his car and charming him in the process, he invites her to his birthday party. At the party Scott falls for the tag-along Morgan’s man-trap act and they quickly become engaged. Leslie is once more relegated to the home-girl/side-kick role. Then Scott is injured and Morgan hires Leslie to nurse him back to health replacing the perceived threat of a Barbie-blond physical therapist. When it looks as if the Nets are going to drop Scott, impatient Morgan abandons him sending the superstar spiraling into a depression. Leslie refuses to give up on him and of course you can guess the rest because you know the genre.

The film succeeds because the leads are very engaging, charismatic folk and this Cinderella story champions the cause of the regular nice girl with whom many in the audience can relate. The story also manages to cast Paula Patton as the villain without totally demonizing her. Morgan realizes in the end that Scott and Leslie are suited for each other and gives her blessing. This goes a long way towards supporting the sisterhood among women and setting a much needed example for young girls. “Don’t hate me ‘cause I’m real. You’ve got stellar looks but I’ve got heart and this time I get the guy. It’s all good.”

An informed, successful screenwriter understands the objectives of the project. In this case, the project is designed as a star-vehicle squarely inside the rom-com genre. It’s not meant to transcend the genre and be overtly thought-provoking or didactic. Its aim is to entertain and leave the viewer with a warm, wistful, uplifting feeling. And it’s about the woman. This is a chick-flick. Michael Elliot, the writer, gets it and is able to deliver. As proven by his past efforts which include BROWN SUGAR, Elliot understands how to delineate how men and women connect through common interests besides the sexual chemistry. In Brown Sugar it was hip-hop music. In Just Wright it’s basketball. This cross-gender connection of a social fun nature is often overlooked in films. But it gives depth to the relationship. You can believe these characters come together because of a common interest. It’s a detail often missing from romance movies but Elliot is smart enough to include it.

Sanaa Hamri’s direction is crisp and keeps the film moving. She delivers just the right amount of romanticism without being annoying or cheesy. In many romance flicks soft focus is used to render a dreamy fairytale quality. In Just Wright Hamri allows the dreaminess to come from the characters rather than forced camera tricks.

Watching this movie, an interesting thought occurred to me. What would a romantic film aimed at the male audience look like? Wonder if Ms. Martin Chase would tackle that challenge. Undoubtedly she’d come up with a brilliant strategy to make it work. Call me, Debra, let’s do lunch!

Ron Covington is a former Disney and Cosby Writing Fellow. Currently with two TV projects and a stage musical in development, he’s added executive producer to his skill set.