Is Hoops Film the "Wright" Stuff for Latifah?
By CBSNews' Karina Mitchell
This week, Queen Latifah makes her way back on the big screenm hoping for a slam-dunk with her new romantic comedy, "Just Wright," in which she stars alongside the rapper Common.
Developed expressly for the Queen and her production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, by screenwriter Michael Elliot ("Like Mike"), this basketball-bbased film has as much action (if not more) going on off-court, as there is during the high-speed NBA-style play viewers see on court.
Latifah plays Leslie Wright, a physical therapist and a confirmed hoops junkie, who is having a hard time scoring when it comes to finding Mr Right. She lands her dream job, when Scott McKnight (Common) an NBA all-star player suffers an injury. Thanks to her gorgeous, gold-digging god-sister (Paula Patton) who manages to attach herself to McKnight, she is given the assignment of rehabilitating an injury that is potentially career-ending. The two hit it off and sparks fly until a game-changing play leaves her sidelined.
Common is refreshing in his performance, completely underplaying the lifestyle of an NBA superstar. He keeps his character down to earth, humble and just so darn likeable. Phylicia Rashad as his insightful, protective mother also gets it just right. It's a shame director Sanaa Hamri ("The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2") didn't make better use of her talent and impeccable comedic wit.
Queen Latifah manages to draw people in with an insurmountable level of charm, and it's that charm that helps make the unlikely pairing between her character and Common's believable. A complete, diametric opposite of her god-sister, she stays true to herself, portraying a real woman, with larger-than-life dreams. She doesn't diet, won't skimp on a good meal and won't primp and preen obsessively to get her guy. Very un-Hollywood like.
In a recent interview for The Showbuzz, Mitchell sat down with Queen Latifah and asked her about the film, how her acting has evolved and been shaped and what's left for her to achieve.
KM:Tell me about the appeal of this role. Why did you decide to take it on?
QL: I thought we haven't seen this character yet. We haven't seen this character in the body of me. And we haven't seen this guy. I thought this guy had layers to him. He wasn't just typical, as you might say, or a stereotypical NBA player. You know just some big jock that just cares about girls and basketball and that's about it. This guy is looking for love. He wants more than that. He wants to settle down. He wants to be with that special person and at the same time, he loves playing basketball. He wants to be the best. So I just thought Common had that perfect, uh, perfect ability to play all those levels of that character.
KM: And you have the ability to play all different kinds of characters yourself. I'm going to switch gears a little bit. You just celebrated a milestone birthday. Congratulations.
QL: I got my milestone on!
KM: I'm going to ask you to get philosophical just for a second.
QL: Ok, let me get my philosophy fingers right.
KM: Look back over the last 10 years and tell me, what are the biggest changes you see? How have you evolved as an actress, as a person?
QL: As an actress I've definitely grown more comfortable and I think I've gotten a lot better. I think I can just call upon things a lot quicker. You know, I've gotten to do a lot more businesswise - grown in that sense. As a person, I think I've learned a lot more about myself and become a lot stronger. I've been through my ups and downs - that's 10 years worth of time. Uh...I don't party as much (laughs). I've learned how to chill out a lot more, because I'm the type of person who definitely can go hard at whatever I do. I go hard, so I've learned how to kind of take it a little bit easy and just slow down a little bit and enjoy life. I mean I always enjoy life, but really appreciate different things about life.
KM: And you've done so many things. You're the queen of hip-hop, you're an accomplished actress. You're a spokesperson, so many things. What's left? What are you itching to do?
QL: Well, I want to continue to build more of that. I want to add more things to that title, you know, to the list of things that I do. I want to continue to build the brand of Queen Latifah and I want to do more charitable things. I want to have a family. I want to make sure our new studio in Miami is a success...and then I want to buy an island...and chill out.
KM: (laughs)...Like we all do.
QL: You know, the typical things, like buying an island and chilling out.
And "Just Wright" may be the perfect "chilling out" film to watch, with or without that island, the Queen and her brand that she is working on!
The Cannes Film Festival:
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing this week. Running until May 23 when the prestigious Palme D'or is handed out, it is the meeting place for the crème de la crème of the international film industry and the place where distributors and international media, who can make or break a film, descend for two weeks.
Opening the festival was Ridley Scott's epic retelling of "Robin Hood." The film's stars - Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett - were on hand at the Croissette to help kick of the opening festivities and give people a first jaunt into medieval England.
Photos: "Robin Hood" at Cannes
Photos: Cannes 2010 Preparations
Photos: Summer Cinema 2010
This version of the fabled tale is unlike any of its predecessors, something Scott and Crowe aimed for with their revisionist story. Initially, the story was pitched with the Sheriff of Nottingham as the protagonist and Robin as the villain. Scott's version instead goes back to show us how the altruistic, yet feisty, hero was created. The Sheriff isn't even a player here.
Cate Blanchett's Marian is anything but virginal. Instead, she is portrayed as a widow as salty and full of verve as Robin himself. In a nation at war with itself and engaged in a bloody war with France, the love story between the two brings both relief and balance to this telling.
I'm not sure how French audiences will take to seeing the French invaders from Normandy classified as completely evil, but audiences here can decide for themselves. The film opens in the U.S. Friday.
Other films expected to create a buzz are Oliver Stone's "Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps" starring Shia LaBoeuf and Michael Douglas and Woody Allen's "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger."
Among the newcomers is Jayant Harman's "Life Is An Art." The first time director finds himself in the envious position of debuting his first ever feature length film at Cannes. Both he and one of the film's actresses Jennifer Niejadlik called it "the dream of a lifetime." Head to The Showbuzz for a first look at the film.
And with a tight grip on the box office is "Iron Man 2" which has already racked up more than $140 million in domestic sales. "Nightmare on Elm Street" comes in at a distant second with $9 million and "How to Train Your Dragon" is in third spot with $6 million.
And that's the buzz for now. Stay tuned to The Showbuzz for more exciting summer releases next week.