Disasters in the Making: Hollywood Sends Up a Brick With ‘Juwanna Mann’
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Brad Slager and Paul Young head back onto the cinematic court for ‘Juwanna Mann,’ the 2002 basketball comedy that asks what would happen if an arrogant professional player destroyed his career, disguised himself to join a women’s league, deceived everyone around him—and somehow suffered virtually no consequences.
Before entering the movie, Brad and Paul discuss basketball’s maddening final minutes, the state of women’s professional basketball, Caitlin Clark’s effect on the league, and how cultural arguments surrounding women’s sports have changed the way this movie plays out today.
Then comes Jamal Jeffries, played by Miguel A. Núñez Jr.: a talented but spectacularly selfish player whose suspension leads to his transformation into Juwanna Mann. The hosts examine the film’s strange internal logic, wasted supporting cast, uneven direction, questionable romance, impossible basketball scenes, and a screenplay that repeatedly avoids the consequences its central character deserves.
Along the way, they encounter Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Ginuwine, a disturbingly mobile prosthetic breast, a championship won through deception, and an ending that rewards nearly every terrible decision Jamal makes.
It’s gender disguise, basketball absurdity, early-2000s comedy, and a cinematic air ball that never comes close to the rim—Disasters in the Making style.