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Juwanna Mann
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 2002
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 91 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (1.85:1)
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
From the moment I opened this week's screener
package from Warner Brothers and saw Juwanna
Mann sitting inside, I knew I was in trouble.
It's another one of those films we have seen
countless times before -- boy dresses up as girl
in order to fulfill a singular purpose. As if we
haven't had enough of these type of films, now
comes this product of two newcomers: director Jesse
Vaughn and screenwriter Bradley Allenstein, who
essentially give us the black "Tootsie" of basketball.
Hot-tempered Jamal Jeffries (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.)
is the NBA's hottest star. He is a man who loves
himself more than his game. He is a man who also
believes that his talent is so fierce that he can
do anything and get away with it. When he goes too
far by stripping down to his barest essentials at a
televised game, he finds himself broke and without
a profession. Even his manager Lorne (Kevin Pollack)
wants nothing to do with him.
Moving back in with his Aunt Ruby (Jenifer Lewis)
after losing his house and fed-up girlfriend
(Kimberly 'Lil Kim' Jones), he soon concocts a
brilliant idea that enables him to return to his
basketball career: he will joining the WUBA (a
substitution for WNBA) posing as female player
Juwanna Mann. Jamal's fraudulent plan works, as he
is instantly recruited to a winning team and
strikes up a warm friendship with gorgeous teammate
Michelle Langford (Vivica A. Fox). Matters become
even more complicated when Juwanna realizes that
he is falling for his teammate Michell, who shows
him that there is more to women than meets the eye.
How is the transfer?
There's no arguing that this film ranks right
up there amongst Warner's consistently perfect
transfers. The film comes across with brilliant
clarity, razor sharp images, and lots of eye-popping
colors (especially in the basketball arena). Black
levels are as deep as expected, and there is no hint
of any film grain. Overall, this transfer is an
eye-pleasing experience.
Reading the DVD specs on the back cover brought
me to this first-time notation: Dolby Digital
5.1 Soundtrack remastered for Home Theaters.
Now that's interesting. The 5.1 mix is
certainly aggressive enough, thanks to the help of
the film's score that surrounds the entire listening
area. There's a lot of punch to the film's soundtrack
not only across the front channels, but also in the
LFE channel that provided pounding response to the
Hip-Hop beats. The rears are very active here,
providing abundant background support, most notably,
the sounds of court side cheering fans during the
basketball games.
Special Features
Just in case you thought one wasn't enough, this
DVD features two full length commentaries.
The first is with Director Jesse Vaughan and actor
Miguel Nunez (Jamal/Juwanna). The second is with
actor Tommy Davidson (Puff Smokey Smoke). I really
didn't want to spend time with either commentary,
but managed to listen to a few minutes of the
Vaughan/Nunez track. Both artists are pretty hyped
up for this commentary, playing rather well off
each other. Vaughan talks about some of the toughest
scenes he had to shoot -- particularly those that
took place on the basketball court. There's a rather
interesting story about how a single set light
managed to bring a thousand gallons worth of water
crashing through an office belonging to a wealthy
lawyer. For anyone interested in listening to it,
this commentary runs quite fluidly as both artists
poke fun at each other, having very little time to
catch some air between their words.
There are nine deleted and expanded scenes
that include...
* Jamal giving the "test" on a busty female at
a party
* An expanded scene where Jamal makes his escape
from a physical wearing a mascot costume.
* From First Class to Economy Class, Jamal gets
stuck in an airline nightmare.
* A short clip concerning a bikini wax sports
one of the funniest lines of the film --
unfortunately, that scene was deleted from the film.
* An extended court room ending adds additional
dialogue that supports Jamal's case.
A Behind The Scenes Special that was
originally broadcast on BET, is a basic promo
piece that shows behind-the-court camera action
intertwined with comments from Nunez and director
Jesse Vaughan. Everyone involved in this featurette
doesn't hesitate to praise the film's star, a person
who didn't mind sacrificing himself to get the most
laughs possible. Vaughan predicts that this actor
will one day be the next Eddie Murphy. We'll see!
(length: approx. 22 minutes)
Juwanna Mann: Press Event is a "film inspired"
radio contest sponsored by a local station. Local
Yokels come out in force to adorn women's clothing
and makeup and then attempt some foul shots. How
they managed to get radio fans to come out and
embarrass themselves like this is beyond me.
(length: approx. 2 minutes)
The Premiere at Mann's Chinese Theater
begins with Nunez, standing in front of the famous
venue, talking about his days as a homeless person
walking down Hollywood Blvd. with a dream of one
day becoming a star. As the microphone makes its
way across the red carpet, as we hear interviews from
co-stars Kevin Pollack, Kim Wayans, Tommy Davidson
and director Jesse Vaughan.
(length: approx. 2 minutes)
There's a Cast & Crew Filmography here as
well as a Music Video of Fat Joe's #1 hit
What's Luv?. Also included is the film's
original theatrical trailer.
Final Thoughts
Though the film is highly predictable and not at
all original, it can be somewhat enjoyable if you
accept this film at face value -- a simple Summer
fluff comedy that aims to entertain. It's hard for
me to recommend this film as anything more than a
curiosity rental.
Release Date: November 19, 2002
