Just Wright (2010)

In the first minutes the spectator may think he already knows everything is gonna happen, but he is wrong. "Just Wright", thought using a saturated subject (sport and overcoming), has a original vision of it. Many people would think that McKnight would fall in love with Queen Latifah's character instead of marrying with Morgan, so that's a proof that the film isn't that predictable. Also, we all thought Leslie would be McKnight's choice from the get go and there would be a big fight between Morgan and her, but one more time, the writer surprised us. It's just a shame that Latifah is ALWAYS playing the same role; it tires the spectator and make us feel cheated. This film, in general, is entertaining and enjoyable to watch, despite the clichéd and ridiculous end it has. See this picture without commitment and you will probably at least have a good time.

A very buxom Queen Latifah should have lost some weight before doing this film. After all, she portrays a physical therapist and the last time I looked, these people are usually on the slim side.The story is Helen Trent-like. Can a woman of 35 find happiness? (Remember the radio show where Helen Trent was the woman who at 35 was thwarted by love?) This seems to be the case for Latifah until she finds love with an NBA star. He falls for her sister and it looks like love shall pass her by again, until he is injured and learns to appreciate what true love means and what it doesn't mean.Of course, when he regains his health his old flame returns. Doesn't that sound familiar? Of course, we know how the end turns out in this very predictable film.

Both Leslie Wright and cousin Morgan Alexander are big Nets fans; however while Leslie is a fan of the team, Morgan is more interested in landing herself a husband and becoming a NBA-wife. When Leslie chances upon a meeting at a gas station with loyal Nets point guard Scott McKnight, she gets an invite to his birthday party and of course Morgan springs into action. Morgan has the looks to capture her man but Leslie appears to have more in common with him. When Scott gets injured, Leslie is employed as live-in physiotherapist supporting his attempts to save his NBA career.I didn't expect Just Wright to be a great film but I was happy to meet it on its own genre ground and play by its rules. The reason for this was my ongoing interest in Common's acting career; this is perhaps founded in bitterness since he has only done one album since he started focusing on the acting (and it was rubbish) – so I'm keen to see the projects that make the loss (IMO) of such a great artist worthwhile. Since he was the leading man here I thought perhaps this would be the one. The problems with it start immediately as the plot is overly messy, getting a lot of establishment done very quickly – meeting Scott, proposing to Morgan, getting injured, getting Leslie into the job; all work done just to get to the "once they spend time together they find one another" part of the film that we all know is coming. This rather serious and rapid stuff gives the first half of the film an overly earnest air that it doesn't warrant, can't carry and never escapes.The second half of the film see the film become about the professional couple of Leslie and Scott and this focuses on them being together and finding a chemistry. It is obvious and a bit cheesy but it is what the whole film should have been like (and the film be only 90 minutes long as well). However this is not to say that this part is particularly good either – the main problem is that the material is not particularly inspired, nor is it particularly charming. It is this second quality that is missing most because this sort of film needs charm to make the formula work. Sadly the material doesn't produce it and the chemistry between the two leads is not all it should be.This is not down to Latifah though, because she works her sparkle for every last drop – she literally gives 100% in every scene and it does show. Common, on the other hand, misjudges his material – partly because he has to deal with more of the "earnest plotting" in the first half. He carries his character too serious and too earnestly to get the mood right. He works "OK" with Latifah but the chemistry just doesn't work as well as it should and it is partly his fault. Patton looks good despite having a terrible character who is all about being a plot device in the weaker first half. Meanwhile the cast is packed with faces from black entertainment (Rashad, Grier) and lots of NBA players showing up – presumably to make the film more marketable thanks to their presence.Just Wright does start to get a bit better in the second half when the messy and serious plot setting is done and Latifah's sheer work-rate starts to win the viewer over, but she cannot do it alone and indeed she doesn't. It is not an awful film but it should have been more formula focused, stayed closely to the genre and have delivered the material to match the effort put in by Latifah. Sadly this is another film that makes Universal Mind Control feel like an even worse album than it was.

I thoroughly enjoyed the spark ignited by Queen Latifah and Common in this movie. It might be predictable like some say but which movie isn't. what i like is the fact that Common is the kinda guy we don't have too many of nowadays. i watched it over six times and still did not get bored. i enjoyed it and will recommended it for your weekend movie must watch.The movie is about Leslie Wright who has a father that adores her but a mother that believes that she should be married if she was not too tom boyish. Her mother does not hide her disdain for her looks when she chose to give her diamond earrings to Morgan (Leslie's god sister) to wear on the day of Scott Mcknight's party. However Leslie was true to herself and this eventually paid off in the end when Scott came to appreciate her for who she is and chose her instead of the gorgeous Morgan.Sparks fly, chemistry is ignited between Leslie and Scott and for us die-hard romantics its gonna be one of your favorite movies in a long time to come.