Just Wright: A Chick Flick That Gets It Right

Sanaa Hamri, the director of one of my favorite chick flicks, Something New does it again with Just Wright, starring Queen Latifah and Hip-Hop performer, Common. Queen Latifah plays Leslie Wright, a physical therapist with a new house in needs of repairs, a job she loves and a mooching cousin named Morgan taking up residence in her guest room. Leslie Wright is like most single women, or at least like me and some of my single friends. She has her life together. She is not waiting for Prince Charming to come and save her. She enjoys her job, but is not career obsessed.  Leslie, like many single women is waiting for Mr Right, but that thought doesn’t rule her life. And like most of us single girls, she has gone on her share of dates with seemly great guys, but not the right guy. They like her…for a friend. oooohh…I know, consigned to the friend zone. That is the kiss of death to any possible romance.

A Woman With A Plan

Her cousin Morgan, on the other hand is a woman with a plan. Morgan is played by  played by Mrs. Robin Thicke, Paula Patton. She is one of those girls that you see in almost every chick flick. She is sweet, gorgeous and her sole ambition in life is to be the trophy wife of an NBA player (prince, rich man or celebrity). She takes this goal very seriously. Studying the fashions of NBA wives, like a post grad working on a thesis; plotting and planning strategy like a military commander, Morgan is one determined woman.

Armed with a pair of tickets, binoculars,  a skin-tight dress and stiletto heels, Morgan goes to a basketball game with Leslie, who is a major fan of the team. What does a fan do? They go to the game in their team’s jersey. So, while Leslie cheers on her favorite team, Morgan checks out the designer handbags carried by the players wives. When Morgan abandons Leslie to go to a party where she hopes to  meet some players, Leslie goes home in her beat up old Mustang.

Meanwhile at the gas station

Guess who Leslie meets  at the gas station on her way home? Scott McKnight the star player of NY Nets! Skipping a few details so I can get to the good part….Scott invites her to his gala birthday party. Of course, being a good person, she asks Morgan (who thinks she has died and gone to trophy wife heaven) to go along. More skipping....Morgan uses her considerable charm to trap ( and I don’t use that term loosely) Scott and before you can say Christian Laboutain, they are engaged.

See…dreams do come true. Wait a minute! The cute, conniving girl getting the guy. Not in a Sanaa Hamri movie.

Things are going along just fine, well at least  for Morgan. She is finally the shopping, dining, fiance  of an NBA basketball player. Life is perfect until McKnight suffers a possible career ending knee injury. He might be ok with physical therapy. Great, but Morgan quickly gets rid of the top sports injury therapist in the NBA, who just happens to look like a member of the Swedish Ski Team. I don’t blame her on that one. Wait a minute….my cousin is a physical therapist. She won’t steal my hard-earned man. So Leslie moves into Scott’s home to help him on the road to recovery.

The Plot Thickens

Look for a few nice surprises, like Pam Greer and Lloyd Wright as Queen Latifah’s supportive parents. Phylicia Rashad makes an appearance as Common’s no-nonsense mother, as well a full line up of NBA players like, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis.

I won’t tell you how the rest of the story goes. I may have said too much already. I enjoyed Just Wright, especially Queen Latifah. I hope she finds more roles like this one.  And I was also pleasantly surprised by Common. This is my first time seeing him in a movie. He did a good job in Just Wright. There were some nice scene between the two of them, where you could see their characters connecting on a personal and intimate level. This is what I like about Just Wright and also Something New; the love affair happens slowly and softly, like a dance. They talk and laugh and tell each other their childhood stories, lifelong dreams and that is why they fall in love. Not because She is gorgeous or he is rich, but because they like each other. Then they fall in love. Call me a hopeless romantic, but when you fall in love with your best friend, it’s just wright!