Despite its cringe-worthy title (and its inevitable insertion into dialogue), “Just Wright” has its heart in the right place. Unsurprisingly, good intentions will only get you so far.
Director Sanaa Hamri (“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2”) and producer/star Queen Latifah (“Hairspray”) wanted to make a movie about a catfight-free love triangle where the smart, sweet, ostensibly less attractive woman gets the man in the end (no apologies for spoilers here: by telling you this, we’re still revealing less than the plot-packed trailer). Latifah isn’t the traditional, size 2 Hollywood beauty, but let’s be realistic here (since the film won’t be): she’d outshine most normal women, as exemplified by her status as a Cover Girl spokeswoman.
But, that’s not the only problem with “Just Wright.” The romantic comedy stars Latifah as Leslie Wright (note to screenwriters: character names should not be chosen just for the sake of a punny title), a New Jersey girl with a heart of gold and a clunker in her driveway. Her shallow childhood friend, Morgan (Paula Patton, “Precious”), is less admirable; her only goal in life is to marry an NBA player. Leslie is a down-to-earth woman who actually *gasp* wears a jersey to her beloved New Jersey Nets game, while her friend treats the sports event as a chance to meet the man of her dreams and dresses appropriately.
When a chance encounter with Nets star Scott McKnight (rapper Common, “Date Night”) scores Leslie an invite to a party, she selflessly invites her friend, even though Morgan ends up getting all the attention. Soon (we’re talking a few months), Morgan and Scott are engaged. Morgan imagines her future is golden (and diamond-encrusted), but an injury sidelines the star and she sprints away with a speed more appropriate for an NBA player than his wife. Leslie’s skills in rehabilitation are called in, and she begins spending more time with Scott. Their friendship grows into something more as Scott faces the prospect of not getting his contract renewed with the team he loves.
As with most romantic comedies, reality isn’t an issue here (and we’ll even overlook the fact that the losing Nets are a team to be reckoned with in the “Just Wright” universe). The timeline is shaky at best, but where the script falters most is in the dialogue and characterization. Patton has been solid in other roles, but her insipid part here is difficult to watch. The romantic interaction between her and Common’s character feels stale and faked. We’re obviously supposed to be rooting for the connection between Scott and Leslie to win out, but it cheapens the film to make the other leg of the triangle so weak.
Even if you hadn’t seen the film’s too-revealing preview, you could predict the plot with almost psychic accuracy. “Just Wright” isn’t about surprises, but lines and scenes are so clichéd that you almost feel bad for the actors involved, except that you’re too busy feeling bad for yourself to care. It’s not a miserable experience, but that’s mostly because you get the opportunity to laugh at the cheesy lines that even a romance writer would edit out.
Latifah is remarkably engaging, adding authenticity and freshness to a script that is anything but. She frequently chooses projects that are beneath her (“The Last Holiday,” “Bringing Down the House”), and “Just Wright” is no exception. Her character and performance attempt to carry the movie, but there’s only so much one woman can do.
For a man who’s so gifted at delivering a line in a song, Common has trouble here. This is his first leading role after supporting parts in films such as “Terminator Salvation” and “Wanted,” and he struggles with the move. You can see that he’s trying, and the performance lacks the effortless quality that mark the best turns. He’s charming, but he doesn’t have the charisma required to pull off some of the awful dialogue he’s required to deliver (he’s saddled with the “Just Wright” line). His basketball skills seems solid, but there camera somehow never catches him lifting off and dunking the ball in a single shot.
The date-night movie formula of mixing sports and romance has worked well (“Love & Basketball”) as often as it hasn’t (“Forget Paris”), and “Just Wright” falls into the latter category. Hamri’s first film, “Something New,” lived up to its title and energized an often silly genre, but she seems to rely too heavily here on her music video background. The flashy editing and split screens seem better suited for MTV (when they played videos) than a feature film. [C-]
