Review of Just Wright (2010) by Walter M — 06 Jun 2010

In "Just Wright," Leslie Wright(Queen Latifah) is a physical therapist who shares a fixer-upper with her godsister Morgan(Paula Patton) who is between jobs while searching for a wealthy husband. Unlucky in love, Leslie is lucky when it comes to her beloved New Jersey Nets who are consistently winning. During a chance meeting with the Nets star player Scott McKnight(Common), she scores an invitation to his birthday party.

Although achingly predictable, "Just Wright" manages to achieve watchable status with its pleasing and intelligent dissection of what makes a woman truly beautiful(Leslie is almost the archetypical earth mother), as a woman's truest wish might be her dream job, not necessarily her dream man.(Admittedly there is a bit of an ethical dilemma for Leslie late in the film that is never addressed.) Also explored with a fine touch is the life of a professional athlete which the movie keeps grounded. And it is refreshingly not that concerned with winning and losing. If one wanted to be picky, one could point that it is not currently that realistic to have the Nets and the playoffs in the same sentence or could wonder what Leslie will do in a few years when the Nets move to Brooklyn. Still, it is not as bad as the hero of "Flash Gordon"(1980) being a Jets quarterback.