Queen Latifah as Cinderella? The rapper turned actress who exudes self-confidence from every pore of her unapologetically round figure?
Not exactly.
“Just Wright” modernizes the Cinderella template enough to please the actress’ fan base and the needs of modern moviegoers.
She’s needy but empowered all at once, even if the film’s screenplay wasn’t exactly sprinkled with fairy dust.
Our screen Queen plays Leslie Wright, a physical therapist who can’t find a man to get past her Nets jersey and unconventional figure.
Men see her as a great friend, not great girlfriend material.
Her galpal Morgan (Paula Patton, “Precious”) doesn’t have those issues. She’s a stunner, and she knows exactly how to lure the men in.
So when they meet NBA superstar Scott McKnight (Common) at his birthday bash he naturally sets his sights on Morgan, not Lesley.
But when Scott suffers a major knee injury Leslie steps up to get him back on the court. And the NBA stud realizes there’s far more to Lesley than just her beaming smile.
“Just Wright” hangs on a traditional love triangle format, and it’s blessed to have two actresses who carry their fair share of the emotional weight.
Latifah can shove past even the weakest material, although her knees buckle under the weight of her dialogue here. Listening to her trash talk at a New Jersey Nets game might be the most painful screen moment of 2010.
And Patton, as lovely here as she is vacant, takes a one-note caricature and transforms her into something approaching reality.
She’s a star on the rise, no doubt.
Common evokes the rarified air of the NBA elite, but he’s not a refined enough actor – yet – to pull off the conflicting emotions of a man forced to consider two very different women. He grins so hard at times you can feel his facial muscles reach the breaking point.
What’s worse is when he sweeps Leslie into his arms for a kiss it feels like a brother and sister attempting a lip lock. The two share chemistry, no doubt, especially when they’re sharing their love of jazz music.
It’s just not the sexual kind needed for rom-com success.
The film’s other stumbling point is that Leslie-Morgan pairing. Why would the down to earth Lesley spend a minute with this gold digging shrew?
“Just Wright” mixes some shrewd pop song choices into the narrative as well as enough NBA cameos to keep men in the audience from nodding off.
The film proves the Cinderella formula shouldn’t be relegated to mothball status, or left in the hands of anyone save royalty.
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