“Just Wright’ is Just Right for Date Night (Review)

For most critics the term "date movie" is a four-letter word, a pejorative term used to denote movies whose drive for widespread appeal squeezes any ounce of actual life out of the flick. Which leads be to believe those critics actually date. For those of us who actually enjoy (or are ordered) to take our significant others to the movies there's a world of difference between a good date movie and a bad date movie. "Just Wright" is a good date movie.



We can start things off simply. If you saw, and enjoyed, "Brown Sugar", you'll like "Just Wright". The parallels are endless. Both were written by Michael Elliot, both showcase Queen Latifah's unstoppable likability, and both follow the same basic story arc. (I don't think I'm going to ruin the movie for any who's ever seen a romantic comedy, but just in case you're the type who detests spoilers, you'll want to skip over to the next paragraph.) In short, Scott McKnight (Common) is an NBA All-Star who blows out his knee and turns to physical therapist Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) to save his career. The chemistry between the two is obvious, but predictably McKnight falls for Wright's gorgeous gold digging friend Morgan (Paula Patton). Long story short, McKnight realizes Morgan is shallow, miraculously returns to the court, of course hits the game winning three, professes his love for Wright, screws it up, and then wins her back with a grand gesture at the last moment.

Sound predictable? It is, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Like other genres (action, horror), we know the basic outline of how "Just Wright" will unfold, but the pleasure is in noticing the familiar landmarks along the way. By that measure "Wright" isn't particularly groundbreaking, character development is kept to a minimum, but with the enormously likable Queen Latifah and Common, making his leading man premier and at the very least looking like a passable baller, leading the way, only those who go into "Just Wright" convinced they'll have a terrible time will actually do so. The rest of us, you know, the one's with actual dates, will find the find the movie works just fine...I mean just right.