Loveamp;Basketball

LoveandBasketballisaromanticbasketballmoviereleasedin2000.ThestorystartswhenMonicaandherfamilyhavejustmovedinanewneighborhoodwhereQuincyandhisfamilylive.Afterabasketballgame,theybecomegoodfriends.Thesameinterestbringsthemcloserandcloser.Ontheirwaytosuccess,theyovercomemanyobstaclesandfinallygettogether.Accordingtothestoryline,itisobviousthatthelovestoryisactuallythemainthemeofthismovie.Inthismovie,thedirectortellsalovestory.Fromthisperspective,thismovieissimilartoHeGotGame,becausetheybothusebasketballasameanstodemonstratesomethingelse.ThebigdifferencebetweenthemisthatinHeGotGame,thedirectorusesbasketballtoshowraceissues.ThedirectorofLoveandBasketballusesplottoportraytheirrelationship.Thismovieisverystraightforwardtothisthemebyshowingabasketballgamebetweentwomaincharacterswholaterbecomeacouple.Thenthedirectorshowshowtheyfallinlove,howtheygetintotroubles,howtheybreakup,andatlasthowtheycometogetheragain.Ontheirwaytomaturity,theylearnhowtodealwithrelationshipsfromtheirparentsaswellasfromeachother.It’sagrowthopportunityforbothofthemtolearnhowtolove.JustasinthenameLoveandBasketball,lovecomesfirstinthismovie.ThewaythatthismovietreatsbasketballislikethewayDenzelinHeGotGametellshissonto“usebasketballasatool.”Somepeoplemayarguethismovieisaboutrace.ButIdonotconsideritthisway.ItistruethatinthismovieAfricanAmericansplaymaincharacters,butusingAfricanAmericanactorsinamoviedoesnotmakeracebecomethethemeofthemovie.InHeGotGame,theraceissueisextremelyobvious.Inmanyscenes,theraceissueisraisedindialogue.CharactersinHeGotGameareactuallytalkingaboutrace.Onthecontrary,thereisnotasinglelineinLoveandBasketballaboutrace.Ontheotherhand,reasonforshowinghowAfricanAmericansaretreatedunequallyinHeGotGameistoshowthedarksideoftheirlives.ButbothofthemaincharactersinLoveandBasketballareupperclasspeople.Theyliveinbighousesandhaverespectablejobsandastableincome.Moreover,almostallthecharactersinthismovieareplayedbyAfricanAmericans,andtheonlyexceptionisMonica’scoachfromheruniversity.Asforthecoach,sheneversaysanythingagainstMonica’srace.Shetreatseveryoneequally.ThisisabsolutelydifferentfromwhatisinHeGotGame,inwhichmanywhitessaythingsagainstAfricanAmericans.Inthissense,itisnotamovieaboutraceatall.Insomeways,thismovieseemslikeabiopic,forexamplebydividingitsplotaccordingtotimeperiod.Ithinkthisisbecausethedirectorwantstomakethismoviemorerealistic.Thisdoesn’tseemtohelptocharacterizeanythemeofthismovie.Onthecontrary,itconfusesaudiences.Itbreaksthestoryintopieceswithnothingtoconnectthem.Especiallywhenthecharacters’costumeschange,ittookmeawhiletorecognizethemandmakeconnectionsbetweenthem.