NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2021): Criterion have transferred Gina Prince-Bythewood's Love & Basketball to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Director-Approved - new 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Gina Prince-Bythewood".

A Warner Blu-ray came out in 2015 HERE, but we don't own it to compare.

Made in 2000, Love & Basketball looks as pristine as you might expect on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate. It was shot on 35mm and there is fine grain support. Colors are true without embellishment, there is depth and the overall image is flawless with a strong level of detail and contrast. A very pleasing and consistent 1080P presentation.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. Love & Basketball has plenty of separations with crowd noises at multiple basketball games and a impactful score by, Spike Lee (who produced the film) regular, Terence Blanchard (Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, Miracle at St. Anna, Inside Man, Dark Blue.) He's one of my favorite modern film composers. There is plenty of other music in the film including songs by Al Green, New Edition, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Kool Moe Dee, Freddie Jackson, Herb Alpert, Bobby Brown, Kate Bush, Tony Dimito, Meshell Ndegeocello, Lucy Pearl and others. They sound great in the lossless transfers does the consistent and clean dialogue - no issues. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray (also available in the UK on October 25th, 2021.)

The 2015 BD had quite a few extras but the Criterion Blu-ray is stacked offering two commentaries from 2000. They include production input from Prince-Bythewood, Terilyn A. Shropshire, composer Terence Blanchard, and star Saana Lathan. Criterion include a new 40-minute making-of documentary, produced by Criterion  in 2021, featuring Prince-Bythewood, Lathan, actors Omar Epps and Alfre Woodard, producer and writer Reggie Rock Bythewood, and basketball adviser Colleen Matsuhara. There is a new 1/4 hour program entitled "Editing “Love & Basketball,” featuring director Gina Prince-Bythewood and her longtime editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, produced by Criterion in 2021. There is also a new (from Criterion), 22-minute, conversation where director Gina Prince-Bythewood is joined by WNBA legend and Hall of Earner Sheryl Swoopes and writer-producer-actor Lena Waithe to discuss the impact of Love & Basketball and how all three women have been able to stay true to their dreams. There are also 10-minutes worth of audition tape excerpts and eight-minutes worth of eight deleted scenes are presented with optional audio commentary featuring director Gina Prince-Bythewood and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire. There is more - Criterion include two short films by Prince-Bythewood: her UCLA thesis film, 1/2 hour 1991's Stitches, and 1997's Progress running 3-minutes, with a new 4-mintue introduction by Prince-Bythewood. Lastly is a trailer and the package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by Roxane Gay (author of Bad Feminist: Essays.)  

Gina Prince-Bythewood's Love & Basketball is a wonderful film - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is beautifully realized with honest elements of failure, defeat, success, overcoming adversity, striving to achieve and romance intersecting with sport. It works very well. Joyful with solid performances. An odd choice for a Criterion Blu-ray until you see the film and indulge in the revealing supplements. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze