(2006)
2
Derek Armstrong
Because Crossover was made during a fertile period for urban competitive-performance movies, most of which were overloaded with sass and bravado, one might assume Preston A. Whitmore II's film would follow the same template. It's kind of surprising, then, that the movie ultimately doesn't have much to do with competitive performance, but rather, the trials of two friends just trying to make it in their worlds. Crossover does begin with a high-stakes street game played in a beautiful old building with cathedral ceilings, where the players showcase all manner of hoops wizardry and in-your-face moves. But then basketball takes a backseat for a while, and we're given an opportunity to really get to know Tech (Anthony Mackie) and Cruise (Wesley Jonathan), as well as their new love interests (Kristen Wilson and Eva Pigford), who may or may not be interested in them for the right reasons. Whitmore's film is best during the long introspective sections in which the young ballers consider their options, and refreshingly, only one of them is fixated on trying to go pro, while the other sees his future in doctor scrubs. Paradoxically, the basketball sections are the weakest. Not only are they composed of the improbably slick game choreography seen in most basketball movies, but they're also full of red herrings. For example, one character explains a number of different scenarios in which a team might forfeit, yet none of these ever rears its head. (Plus, a hustle pulled by Tech and his friend is shamelessly plundered from White Men Can't Jump.) A treat for fans of Chappelle's Show: appearing as a soulless agent/bookie who manipulates talented amateurs, Wayne Brady resembles the spoof version of himself from that show, in which this famous nice guy drives the streets doing drugs and threatening prostitutes.
Crossover on AllMovie
Crossover (2006)
