Just Wright 2010

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: I like this movie a lot. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: I like this film in part because it doesn't go full-cornball until the last quarter, and along the way, it actually finds ways to make everyone on-screen a human being. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Since the frisson of conflict is what makes movies work, Just Wright flounders, slick as an NBA commercial, pretty as a Jersey-in-spring postcard. Read more

Mary F. Pols, MSN Movies: Just Wright is an easy enough way to pass an afternoon, and it is refreshing to see a plus-sized woman on screen that isn't, for one second, fretting about her weight. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Just Wright has the right actress -- in the wrong movie. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Lest anyone need a reminder that conflict is the engine of drama, Just Wright provides a blandly agreeable one. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Just Wright is probably best thought of as a fairy tale, from start to finish. It's just not a very good one. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Just Wright is as formulaic as they come, but at its core is a surprisingly tender romantic drama about two people falling in love in what feels gratifyingly like real-time. Read more

Amy Nicholson, Boxoffice Magazine: The Queen's got pride and heart, rare commodities in a genre that likes women to trip over their own stilettos. Katherine Hepburn demanded better. So does Latifah - and so should we. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: Queen Latifah's warmth has boosted middling movies like "Beauty Shop" and "Last Holiday," but she and costar Common can't strike enough sparks to ignite this weak romantic comedy. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: You can almost see the studio accountants counting the demographic hot spots Just Wright should connect with as the movie reels by. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The movie is a rigged game of cliches and platitudes, but fans will be pleased by additional proof that Latifah is a lovable Queen but not a pampered princess. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: You know these two are meant to be together, and the de rigueur obstacles that stand in their way are visible from a mile off. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Spare me another movie in which a gorgeous size-2 actress spends two hours complaining she can't snare a man. That Latifah is beautiful but accessible makes her all the more likable. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Latifah has talent and personality to spare, so it would be great to see her taking on more romantic roles. But to sell herself short in the process? Clearly, even she knows that's just wrong. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: A very rare contemporary romantic comedy that doesn't succumb to terminal stupidity. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Sure, the movie is a formula. A formula that works reminds us of why it became a formula. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: It's one thing for a romantic comedy to be predictable -- they all end at the same destination, after all. But it's quite another thing to be predictable at every twist and turn of the story. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Even the title announces, "We're not really making an effort here." Read more

Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The been-there, done-that nature of the plot doesn't take away from the undeniable sweetness found in Just Wright. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: Technically speaking, this is a romantic sports comedy. We don't get many films in which these elements work well as a team. Read more

Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: Writer Michael Elliot and director Sanaa Hamri may serve up the same old fairy tale but at least they do so with some enthusiasm for the task and much affection for the characters. And for that, viewers can feel grateful. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Queen Latifah made a remarkably natural transition from hip-hop to acting. Such is not the case for rap star Common. Though he looks great on camera, his acting abilities are limited. Read more

Andrew Barker, Variety: Painting by numbers often gets a bad rap: While it takes little originality to fill in the romantic-comedy blanks, even a simple, competent job can sometimes feel like a breath of fresh air. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: That absolutely no chemistry exists between them as love interests is the first of the many flaws in a film that also demands we believe the New Jersey Nets could become Eastern Conference champions. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Latifah and Common create something that's all too rare in contemporary romantic comedies, and that's the sense that their characters actually, you know, like each other. Read more