Just Wright [DVD] - Sanaa Hamri

If you've ever doubted that Queen Latifah is a movie star watch emJust Wright/em. It's not that emJust Wright/em is a great movie--it isn't. It's a perfectly capable romantic comedy with some lovely touches and some typical clichés. The plot--physical therapist Leslie Wright (Latifah) becomes the personal therapist to basketball star Scott McKnight (rapper Common) after a devastating injury and gradually love blossoms--isn't really the point. What makes the movie work are little moments of pain and pleasure such as the flicker of betrayal when Leslie watches her mother give a pair of heirloom earrings to Leslie's prettier childhood pal Morgan (Paula Patton emPrecious/em) or the hesitation followed by a leap when Leslie and Scott have their first kiss. Director Sanaa Hamri who also made the unjustly ignored interracial romance emSomething New/em has an excellent eye for the details of how people interact she never forgets that people rarely know what they're going to do until they actually do it so her movies are in a constant state of discovery. She draws a new vulnerability out of Queen Latifah who usually coasts on a sassy breezy confidence. emJust Wright/em is about a woman who's quietly endured a thousand indignities and tries not to let her unhappiness show--which is what makes it so engaging. This sort of performance doesn't win awards but it makes this sort of movie an unexpected pleasure.em --Bret Fetzer/em