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Just Wright

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Stars: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton,

Pam Grier

Director: Sanaa Hamri

Rated: PG

Showing: Liberty Theatre - Friday 2:30/7/ 9:45pm; Saturday 2:30/6/ 9pm; Sunday 2:30/5:30pm; Monday to Thursday 2:30/6/ 9pm

Runtime: 111 minutes

Romance/comedy

Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) is looking for her Mr. Right - but men are more comfortable being the sassy physical therapist's friend than her lover.

She is urged by her mom Janice (Pam Grier) and stunning but shallow best friend Morgan (Paula Patton) to dress sexier and be more coy to bag a guy but she refuses to change who she is - a straight-talker more comfortable in her New Jersey Nets basketball shirt and jeans than a cocktail dress.

After attending a Nets game, she runs into star player Scott McKnight at a gas station and helps him when he cannot figure out how to open the tank.

She invites him to her birthday party, where he falls for scheming Morgan, whose dream is to be NBA trophy wife.

When Scott suffers a career-threatening knee injury during a game, Leslie is hired to get him back on the court.

But she ends up healing his emotional as well as physical wounds after Morgan dumps him, fearing his star is on the wane.

As they spend more time together, she finds herself falling for Scott - but is she willing to risk losing her job and her best friend when Morgan decides she wants him back?

Just Wright is a formulaic, cliched and sentimental Cinderella story aimed at girls who think they cannot get the guy because they aren't a flawless size zero.

Queen Latifah is likeable and funny as our sharp heroine, a direct contrast to her calculating best friend Patton, last seen as Gabourey Sidibe's kind-hearted teacher in Precious.

Rapper-turned-actor Common handles his role as romantic leading man well after action roles in Wanted and Terminator Salvation.

The easy familiarity and growing affection between him and Queen Latifah is believable although they don't exactly boast a sparkling chemistry.

There's nothing new in this boy-meets-girl tale but the cast make it watchable.

Watch if you liked: Along Came Polly, Hitch.

For more information about film times, call 292-7296.

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