Gender Representation: Love & Basketball

Media Analysis Paper: Love & Basketball The movie Love & Basketball was released in 2000, however the events in the film take place starting back in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Monica, one of main characters, moves in next door to Quincy, the other main character. At this time, they are both 11 years old with big dreams of playing in the NBA, just like Quincy’s dad. As they both attended the same schools, their love-hate relationship lasts into high school, only their attitudes separated them, except when Quincy parents argue and he climbs through Monica’s bedroom winder to sleep on the floor at night. As high school ends, they become a couple, but within a year, when they both begin college at USC, things take a turn for the worst after Quincy’s relationship with his dad takes an ugly turn, which caused him to break up with Monica. After five years, both of their professional careers come to a crossroad and Quincy and Monica meet again, leading up to a final game of one-on-one with a lot at stake. This movie shows different representations of gender roles, falling somewhere in the middle of a resistant representation and a reaffirmation of gender roles. As the two main characters were the same age, same university, both at the same class standing and both play the same sport of basketball, gender performance was clear by Monica’s treatment throughout the movie. In the opening scene of the movie Love & Basketball, three young boys, Quincy being one of them, are playing basketball outside at a neighborhood court. As their mothers had informed them that girls were moving into the neighborhood, the boys were both pleasantly surprised and confused ad the “new kid” walks over and asks to join them. They are playing; the “new kid” walks up and asks to join. Wearing a say shirt and a LA Lakers hat, purposely portraying to be a boy, the “new kid” removes the hate and reveals herself as a girl. One of the boys shout, “Aw man

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