Just Wright: "Just Average"

Rating:

***

By Da’Mon Guy

       Just Wright is a mildly entertaining romantic comedy that neither excites nor disappoints. Queen Latifah and Common star in this movie that entertains but does nothing new for movie goers. The movie features an ensemble cast including Paula Patton, Phylicia Rashaad, Pam Grier, NBA stars Dwight Howard, and Dwayne Wade who all come together to offer some “nice” performances but they can’t save the movie.

         Just Wright doesn’t “wow” you but it does offer some good entertainment for a night at home. Common gives a really good, heartfelt performance in his first leading role as NBA star, Scott McKnight. He does a great job at communicating his performance as a soft spoken individual through the subtle looks and gestures on screen. Convincing the audience with brief verbal exchanges.
     
      Queen Latifah is just the opposite. Her approach to her portrayal of her character is the downfall of this movie. She plays Leslie Wright, a physical therapist, and hardcore Nets fan that is nothing more than an extension of her usual lists of characters she has portrayed in most of her movies since ascending to the big screen. Just Wright’s failures can be attributed to the role of Queen Latifah. It seems just like she transferred "Kahdijah James from Living Single to the big screen. Just with a new name and different profession. She has used this persona too often as she has portrayed the same character in most of her movies. The wise cracking hipster from the streets. It has become her little "niche" in movies. Queen Latifah, like many other Afro American actors, play this role all to frequently.
     
      Latifah does offer her bright spots in her performance as Leslie Wright. She does have opportunities to portray the strength of modern woman and she does it very well. She shows how strong black women can be and it is very sincere and worth commending.

      Just Wright does have some good points and redeeming qualities. One of them is the inside look at the women trying to “rope” NBA stars into marriage was entertaining. The movie shows exactly what lenghts some women go through to try to bate NBA players into marriage. The ensemble cast of stars each provide some form of entertainment in their own manner.
     
      Overall Just Wright is “just ok.” I’d give it 3 stars. I really enjoyed Common’s portrayal of Scott McKnight. That was the highlight of the movie for me but the movie’s downfall was that it didn’t make me believe the love story between Scott Mcknight and Leslie Wright. There was little to no fizzle between them nor is it believable. We never truly “feel” the romance between them. There are brief moments where there is some chemistry but it quickly disappears. The movie also never convinces the audience of either character’s love for basketball. It’s has no where near the power of “Love and Basketball.“ It’s a nice DVD for to offset a boring night at home.