JUST WRIGHT — ★★ — Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton; rated PG (profanity, vulgarity, slurs, brief sex); in general release
"Just Wright" is obviously a fantasy and not based on any sort of reality. After all, there's no way a player the size and stature of Lonnie Rashid Lynn — better known as Common — could be a dominant star in the National Basketball Association.
(To give you an idea of how slight and how ridiculous he looks on the basketball court, he's dwarfed here by Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, who isn't exactly a behemoth himself.)
Of course, the lack of realism and believability is not really the worst problem for this messy comedy-drama. It's that at times the movie appears to be populated by people who are more caricatures than characters.
The filmmakers and at least one cast member broadly overplay the comedy, and as a result the supposed "dramatic" moments seem much funnier and aren't terribly effective.
The sad thing is, this film had some promise. Its star is Queen Latifah, who is pretty likable. She stars as Leslie Wright, a New Jersey physical therapist and die-hard sports fan.
Leslie is also a big fan of Nets star Scott McKnight (hip-hop-artist-turned-actor Common). And surprisingly, she hits it off with him when they have an accidental "encounter."
She's even thinking about a possible relationship. But instead, he's more attracted to her more glamorous friend and roommate, Morgan (Paula Patton).
However, this gold digger abruptly dumps Scott once he gets injured and it appears his career is over.
And the person to pick up the pieces is Leslie, who becomes his physical therapist and becomes determined to get him back on the court before the season is over.
As you can guess, the sparks fly — supposedly. There's really not much chemistry between Latifah and Common, and they seem more chummy or like brother and sister than possible lovers.
Also, Common tries too often to smile his way through his scenes and is unconvincing. Still, he's miles better than Patton, whose over-the-top theatrics are awful.
And she takes precious time away from veterans like Pam Grier and Phylicia Rashad. (They're wasted in go-nowhere roles as Leslie's and Scott's mothers, respectively.)
"Just Wright" is rated PG and features scattered strong profanity, some suggestive talk and references (as well as gestures and dance moves), derogatory language and slurs (some of them sexist in nature), and a brief sex scene (mostly implied). Running time: 101 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com