Just Wright (2010)

JUST WRIGHT

STARRING: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Pam Grier, James Pickens Jr. and Phylicia Rashad

WRITTEN BY: Michael Elliot

DIRECTED BY: Sanaa Hamri

Rated: PG

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 14 May 2010

Review Date: 25 May 2010

It's been refreshing seeing so many romantic comedies as of late, that were not only good, but clean as well. Leap Year, Letters to Juliet and now Just Wright, have all been very tasty films and were all rated PG.

The adorable Queen Latifah who is one of the few people in Hollywood you can tell has a good soul just by looking at her; stars as Leslie Wright. All of Leslie's life, she has been the `friend' to charming and available guys. No one has ever wanted to be more than that with her in the end, and to add insult to injury, guys tend to fall for her best friend Morgan (Paula Patton).

Morgan is indeed beautiful, but then so is Leslie, and only an idiot wouldn't be able to smell Morgan's BS from a mile away. But then again there are a lot of idiots in the world, so this makes it easier for those of us with two or more brain cells watching, to accept this in the film.

To call Morgan high maintenance would be the understatement of the century. At least she is honest with Leslie about her intentions however, which was one of two small problems I had with this great film.

The first being that I just can't buy that Leslie would after all these years be friends with someone so manipulative and deceitful. Morgan has made it her mission in life, to wed a cash flow. Whereas Leslie you see, is basically every bit as sweet as the real Queen Latifah.

After Morgan fills Leslie in on her plan to snag an NBA player as her ATM of a husband, Leslie just so happens to run into such a man at a gas station following a game. His name is Scott McKnight and he plays for the Nets; which coincidentally is the team that Leslie is nuts about.

Common plays Scott, and the enthrallment is there from the get-go between both the actors and the characters they portray and lasts all the way till the credits. Taken aback by Leslie's unique charm, Scott invites her to a party.

Naturally, Leslie brings Morgan along with her, and Scott finds her intriguing. Morgan plays Scott like a fiddle and soon enough they are dating. Being such a sweetheart, Leslie is happy for Morgan and allows this to go on when Morgan expresses that she is truly developing feelings for Scott.

Leslie is a physical therapist and when Scott gets injured on the court, he hires her to move in and take care of him. Based on the description of Morgan's character and the necessary formula of romantic comedies, you can guess where it goes from there.

And it does go there, but we really enjoy the ride it takes us on along the way. The film doesn't force the inevitable down our throats, but slowly and innovatively leads us to the romance of Scott and Leslie.

I mentioned earlier that there were only two small problems I had with the film. The second one takes place in the third act and involves a ridiculous decision made by Scott. It took my like for the character down a notch or two, but those are tiny notches and both of these problems I had were minuscule to the overall effect the film had.

I've had my eye on Paula Patton for quite some time now; ever since I saw her in Déjà vu. She has a rare quality to her and I think she will do big things in the world of movies. In the small handful of mainstream films she has done, you can see a vast variety of talent. She is enduring and the fact that she makes us absolutely hate her as Morgan in this film, shows how truly talented she is.

Director Sanaa Hamri has gone from Something New; to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; to Just Wright; and each of them compliments her well. Insert offensively cheesy Just Wright one-liner here:

Nothing about this film seemed any more unique than any other romantic sports style film. Boy chases girl. Boy gets girl. Boy dogs girl. Boy makes it better. The end. While other friends and family around me were just dying for the release date of this film, I wasn't going to see it. However, when I saw Common and Queen Latifah (fake?) flirting it up on "The Mo'Nique Show," I found them entertaining. They sure did look believable, so it made me want to see them in action. I saw the film. I won't lie to you. It is about as predictable as you would guess. Leslie is the girl's guy, the next-door-neighbor style lady who is chummy with all the guys but they don't really get a spark out of her. She's every guy's best friend who's a girl but not girlfriend material.

But her roommate Morgan (Paula Patton) knows what to wear and what to do to sink her teeth into a man. Her eyes are set on Scott McKnight (Common), and he of course chases her. She badly wants to be a basketball wife and is thrilled when he proposes. A little bit later, he has an injury on the court. Leslie is a physical therapist. Guess who ends up being his physical therapist? Whatever you believe happens after that is probably true. Now if I based my rating on the plot, it'd be one star, maybe two.

But what I did like was the chemistry between Queen Latifah and Common on film. I didn't think Paula Patton was very good at playing a golddigger and manipulator. She just looked too happy and had this glow on her face the entire time, that kind of glow pregnant women have or a woman who has been sexed up really good. I think she was great in "Precious" but playing the villain wasn't convincing. But again, it was entertaining watching the two rapper actors prove that they are just as talented at both. The jazz scenes were great for me. I loved those! I could've watched the piano and singing performance all day.

Another great part of the film for me was watching Phylicia Rashad (who played Scott's mother) and James Pickens Jr. (who played Leslie's father) on the screen. These two veteran actors were great to watch as usual, and I liked their movie relationship with the two main characters.

It was a cute film but if not for these particular characters, it would've been a bust. I will warn you that it's not worth paying evening rates though, stick to the matinee prices.

Buy Just Wright (2010) Now

I love this movie so much. I have watched this movie at least 4 times since I purchased it. Every time I watch it I always feel so positive about meeting the right man for me. Queen Latifah and Common had such great chemistry. Paula Patton was just too cute and funny. James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad and Pam Greir were so good as the parents. The story was so positive. It is too bad that Hollywood doesn't produce more postive movies about African-American relationships like this.

Read Best Reviews of Just Wright (2010) Here

You know me. I'm very critical of romantic comedies. That doesn't always prevent me from enjoying them, however. I enjoyed "Just Wright" very much, in large part because of Queen Latifah, whose character, Leslie Wright, is caring, independent, warm, self assured, and genuinely likeable. Her only flaw is not being able to find a man that wants to be more than friends, and even then you can't really blame her because she is trying. Part of the problem is her godsister and best friend, Morgan (Paula Patton), a shallow man hunter who gets what she wants ... even if Leslie had it first. Morgan is classically beautiful and not yet thirty, and loves dressing fancy wherever she goes. Leslie is thirty-five and has curves, and while she certainly can dress nicely, she isn't opposed to casual clothing, either.

Movies like this are inherently contrived, so liking them really has nothing to do with believing in them. It has more to do with how they present themselves, if they're pleasant and fun and have good characters. "Just Wright" exudes such charm and goodwill that it entertains at a fundamentally emotional level. I also appreciated the fact that, while there's almost nothing plausible about what leads to the obligatory romance, the romance itself is compelling, focusing more on the process of falling in love than the end result. Anyone can capture immature puppy love on camera and call it a movie, but we don't often see older characters allowing something to develop naturally.

Here's the story. Leslie, a New Jersey physical therapist and Basketball fan, has a chance encounter with Scott McKnight (Common), a star player for the Nets and a recent free agent. He's decent enough and seems to like her. He even invites her to his birthday party. All prospects of starting a relationship are seemingly shot when Morgan tags along; her goal is to become a trophy wife and live out the rest of her days shopping, dining, and looking good for photographers. Almost as quickly as they met, Scott and Morgan become engaged. But then Scott injures his knee during the NBA All-Star Game, and it's bad enough to put his career in jeopardy. If he's to take part in an upcoming game, he must undergo weeks of physical therapy, and he must turn to someone good. His first choice of therapist is too pretty for Morgan to compete with, which is why she hires Leslie.

It turns out to be a very good move. Not only is she well trained, she's also a great motivator, taking a firm and no-nonsense approach. She takes care of Scott, but more to the point, she inspires him. A friendship develops rather quickly, although it takes a bit more time for them to realize that they're falling in love. Or perhaps they do realize it, but they're afraid to act on it for fear of actually finding what they've been looking for. Success, be it professional or personal, can be frightening, no matter how much one claims to want it. But what about Morgan? It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, but you should know that she isn't as shallow as she might seem. Misguided perhaps, although not without her good points. If only they weren't revealed at just such moments when they're the most convenient.

But what am I complaining for? That's how movies like this work. What I cared about most was that I liked the characters, and I especially liked Leslie. She has such a wonderful personality bright and accommodating yet not so desperate for affection that she allows herself to be trampled on. Perhaps she's an extension of the real Queen Latifah, who seems genuinely confident and good natured in all of her public appearances. As for the other cast members, they all hold their own, although some get less screen time than they probably deserved. Case in point: Phylicia Rashad as Scott's kindly mother, who seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to women like Morgan. She also has an affinity for people like Leslie, decent people who are strong, level-headed, and even a little opinionated.

There's also Pam Grier and James Pickens, Jr. as Leslie's parents, and while they play their roles as best they can, neither are given all that much to do except be supporting roles. Pickens' character in particular is nothing more than momentary comedy relief, a well intentioned but inept Mr. Fix-It who helps Leslie renovate her home. I can understand the renovation aspect, for it's symbolic of the change occurring slowly but steadily in Leslie's life. The parents, however, did not seem necessary to me. It's a good thing they appeared so infrequently. All we really needed was Leslie, a great character in a story that isn't quite deserving of her. It gets the job done, but still, was there no way to go for something less conventional? Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen effective, but often times forgettable. "Just Wright" entertained me because of its characters and tone, but the plot is just another face in the crowd.

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A simple wholesome feel good movie with a strong woman character. This movie leaves you feeling enthusiastic about love and life!

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