February celebrates two major events, Valentine's Day and Black History Month. Considering both, here are nine love stories to watch this week that center Black voices and stories. From cult hits to classics and everything in between, these films each offer beautiful, timeless love stories. The directors behind these movies have gone on to do other incredible projects including the likes of The Old Guard, The Mandalorian and Space Jam: A New Legacy. Here are nine of the best Black-centered love stories out there.
Love and Basketball (2000)
True to its name, Love and Basketball incorporates the struggles of balancing a relationship with being an athlete. Gina Pryce-Bythewood's directorial debut chronicles the life journey of Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) as they grow from childhood friends to lovers to athletes in their own respective rights. Not only do the two have to deal with a long-distance relationship, but Monica's mother Camille (Alfre Woodard) pushes her to be more ladylike and Quincy's father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert) attempts to influence his life. Though it didn't quite blow up the box office, Love and Basketball became a cult classic; Pryce-Bythewood said that her goal was to make a Black-led film in the vein of When Harry Met Sally, and she clearly succeeded.
Love and Basketball is available to stream on HBO Max.
The Photograph (2020)
In the days before the COVID-19 pandemic led to theaters shuttering and films shifting to streaming, Valentine's Day saw the release of The Photograph, starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield as its romantic leads. The Photograph takes a unique approach to its love story, placing scenes detailing how Mae's (Rae) parents Christina (Chante Adams) and Issac (Y'lan Noel) pursued their own romance in between scenes between reporter Michael (Stanfield) and museum curator Mae. Both story lines are linked by a photograph of Christina. The Photograph was overshadowed by Sonic the Hedgehog during its opening weekend, however it's definitely worth the watch for the performances alone. Rae and Stanfield have the kind of chemistry you can't fake.
The Photograph is available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.
Moonlight (2016)
Barry Jenkins's Moonlight is a heart-wrenching yet ultimately uplifting look at a Black man coming to terms with his sexuality over the years. Based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the film follows Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) over the course of his life. Hibbert, Sanders, and Rhodes all bring different dimensions to Chiron, and Jenkins fills the screen with beautiful imagery. Perhaps the most moving scene is when Chiron's father figure Juan (Mahershala Ali) teaches him how to swim, gently holding his head above water. It's an example of the different kinds of love that can occur between people. Not only is the familial love between Chiron and Juan a focus, but the deep romantic love Chiron feels for his childhood friend Kevin (Andre Holland) is given substantial emotional weight as well.
Moonlight is available to stream on Hulu.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
With Moonlight raking in critical acclaim and multiple awards, Jenkins turned to his next feature: If Beale Street Could Talk. Based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name, Beale Street follows Clementine "Tish" Rivers (KiKI Layne) as she fights to exonerate her husband Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt (Stephan James) from prison when he's wrongfully convicted of rape. Even though the film deals with heavy subjects including racial profiling and sexual assault, it's a love story at its core. Tish keeps up her efforts to free Fonny, even with a baby on the way and her own mother-in-law declaring she's damned her own soul by having a child out of wedlock. And that's not even factoring in a supporting cast that includes Regina King, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Diego Luna, and Pedro Pascal.
If Beale Street Could Talk is available to stream on Hulu.
Just Wright (2010)
The early 2000's saw Queen Latifah pursuing a career in film and television, appearing in a string of main or supporting roles. Some films, like Bringing Down The House, scored big at the box office while others were flops — most notably Last Holiday, although critics enjoyed her performance. One film that has flown under the radar is Just Wright, which she produced in addition to having a lead role. Latifah stars as physical trainer Leslie Wright, who strikes up a friendship with NBA star Scott McKnight (Common). McKnight, in turn, takes an interest in Leslie's friend Morgan (Paula Patton). When McKnight tears his PCL during a game, this leads to Leslie serving as his trainer, and sparks flying between the two after Morgan leaves. Though Just Wright didn't exactly set the box office on fire, its slow-burn romance and a leading lady who broke the mold of romantic film leads make it worth a watch.
Just Wright is available to stream on Hulu.
Brown Sugar (2002)
Rick Famuwiya is best known for his coming-of-age film Dope, but one of his standout films has to be Brown Sugar. Like Love and Basketball, it blends a budding romance between childhood friends with their shared passion, in this case, hip-hop. The two even share Sanaa Lathan as a star, with Lathan playing journalist Sydney. Sydney finds herself falling for her friend Dre (Taye Diggs) who works at Millennium Records. Feeling disillusioned with the then current state of hip-hop, Dre forms his own label and even finds love with another woman (Nicole Ari Parker). The film was notable for having cameos from major figures in rap, including Common and Method Man. Mos Def even has a major role!
Brown Sugar is available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.
The Best Man (1999)
Many people know the name Spike Lee, but his cousin Malcolm D. Lee is a talented filmmaker in his own right. Lee's debut film, The Best Man, takes a simple premise, best friends gathering for a wedding, and adds a comedic bent to it as one of the friends, Harper (Taye Diggs) has written a book that is based on the secrets they've worked so hard to keep. When an advanced copy finds its way into the others' hands, chaos ensues as the groom Lance (Morris Chestnut) learns that his bride-to-be Mia (Monica Calhoun) had a fling with Harper. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Terrence Howard and Harold Perrineau. It also marks another romantic pairing between characters played by Diggs and Sanaa Lathan. Lee would go on to direct a sequel, The Best Man Holiday, in 2013.
The Best Man is available to stream on Peacock.
Love Jones (1997)
Some filmmakers will have a long and steady career, like Martin Scorcese or Guillermo del Toro. Others usually have one to two good films before a downward slope. Theodore Witcher lies somewhere in between, as his directorial debut Love Jones remains the one film he's directed in addition to writing the screenplay for. Love Jones is unique in how it handles the relationship between Darius (Larenz Tate) and Nina (Nia Long). There's ups and downs as they deal with exes and jealousy despite their mutual attraction. Much like Love and Basketball and Brown Sugar, Love Jones has earned a cult following over the years. It's also one of the few films to take a realistic approach to relationships.
Boomerang (1992)
Eddie Murphy was practically untouchable in the late '80s to early '90s. He had a string of hits that included Coming To America, Beverly Hills Cop, and Trading Places. In 1992, he decided to try his hand at a romantic comedy with Boomerang, reuniting with House Party directer Reginald Hudlin and Coming To America screenwriters Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield. Murphy plays womanizing ad executive Marcus Graham, who gets a taste of his own medicine when his new boss Jacqueline (Robin Givens) begins to manipulate him in the same way that he did to other women. The film, in addition to boasting an ensemble that includes Halle Berry and fellow comedians Martin Lawrence, and Chris Rock, was a success at the box office and even spawned a TV series in 2019. Hudlin said that he wanted to push Murphy as an actor, and clearly it was the right choice.