This is a comedy about a basketball player who dresses into a woman and fall in love in his team mate.Is this movie a masterpiece?Definitely no.Is this movie predictable?Definitely yes.But that's not the problem.This is an average comedy,you will enjoy it if you do not take it too serious.It has some fun moments,and it is not that bad movie.Kevin Pollack is a great in the role of Juwanna's manager,the direction is decent,and it is a light-hearted funny movie good for Sunday evening entertainment.I would recommend this movie to kids who like basketball,i really think that this is a great movie for them.If you are looking unpredictable,great masterpiece then don't watch this.But I think that it is good to accuasionally watch movies of this category to relax and enjoy in the light-hearted story.
45 Reviews
Tastefully done, and better than expected.
dvblack30 June 2002
Not nearly so bad as you'd think
merricatnyc17 January 2004
Your standard "jerk finds his humanity through identification with an Other" formula comedy. In this case, the Other is a female--which is usually a recipe for disaster unless the jerk is Dustin Hoffman.
I let this run as background noise after another movie ended, and was surprised to find myself watching it and even laughing a few times. I can't recommend spending money on a rental, but if it comes on cable you could do worse.
I let this run as background noise after another movie ended, and was surprised to find myself watching it and even laughing a few times. I can't recommend spending money on a rental, but if it comes on cable you could do worse.
Good for a couple laughs
groovin2zeppelin20 June 2002
After building and screening this film I come to a very simple conclusion. This film is good for a few good laughs. Don't expect any more than the previews give you. Very predictable plot along with simple comedy. You can't blame them for trying, I guess.
_Rob
Stay positive!
_Rob
Stay positive!
Funny scene in the massage parlor
Golden_Erudite1 July 2017
In my opinion, the best scene is massage parlor. Juwanna and his friend goes to the massage parlor. Friend gets beautiful woman, but Juwanna Mann gets bald fat man. It was funny. I was looking for the scene many years ago, but I didn't know that it's the movie. The movie is very funny and hilarious.
A semi-funny comedy but overall a good movie
DunnDeeDaGreat22 June 2002
Juwanna Mann isn't a horrible movie just a by the numbers comedy. The film has the same jokes that most gender benders comedy's do which get tired after a while. Miguel A .Nunez does good carrying the movie by himself but Tommy Davidson and Kim Wayans steal every scene their in. Ginuwine does a great acting job in his first movie and Mrs.Fox is good as always. While the jokes in the gilm are the same overall the film is good and has a nice message. If Warener had a soundtrack to back the film then it would have been better but I think with out a SDTK Warner may have a sleeper hit on their hands.
Camp Sports Movie--Superb but Raw Idea
jazzest16 June 2003
The material, gender-twisted camp sports movie, is astonishing, but may be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to realize well. A major problem of Juwanna Mann is that unwisely blended fantasy and reality lead the audience to an absurd confusion. If it took place in a perfectly fictitious setting, it could be more persuasive. But the setting obviously refers to the NBA and the WNBA in the real world, and even an average fan can tell what is described in the film is far different from the reality. Also, a moral-learning in coming-of-age manner of a pro star athlete with an arrested development seems forcedly contrived and looks unnatural. Finally, as an enthusiastic WNBA fan myself, I don't appreciate the filmmakers' lack of knowledge in and respect to women's sports.
Overall, the film is all about the superb but raw idea, which is not executed well.
Overall, the film is all about the superb but raw idea, which is not executed well.
I Did Not Hate This Movie
underfire3519 January 2004
JUWANNA MANN goes a long way towards proving what I have said for years: That a film can overcome most anything if you care about the characters. In fact JUWANNA MANN is better than THE ENGLISH PATIENT, because in watching that film I was not concerned with what happened, was not engaged emotionally by the events in that story. Ergo, JUWANNA MANN is a better film, at least to me, than THE ENGLISH PATIENT. I'm not sure what to think about that, but it makes sense on some level.
I caught this movie on cable one day, and figured it would be a painful retread of TOOTSIE, but after a while I couldn't turn it off. It is about a pro-basketball player who crosses the line and is booted out of the league, his only recourse being to dress like a woman and play in the WNBA. Not exactly high art. However, the lead character, played by Miguel A. Nunez Jr., is so likable and honest I was amazed with his performance. He puts on a wig and attacks the role with such gusto I couldn't help but take notice; there are also more subtle things that he does that help the film along. Nunez is the the lynch-pin holding the film together. The supporting cast is also quite good: the always reliable Kevin Pollak, the lovely Vivica A. Fox, Tommy Davidson, etc.
The film was also funny...I laughed which does not happen often, not because I am a humorless miser (entirely), but because most films don't strike me as amusing. Don't get me wrong, JUWANNA MANN has it's share of crude humor and a scene involving a traffic stop that goes on too long, but it does not cripple the film, if adds nothing to it. The damn movie is heartwarming, yeah, you heard me...heartwarming! I've never used that term to describe a movie before, but it is. The ending may be formulaic, but for some reason I forgave the film, perhaps because I wanted the characters to be happy. It was certainly a great surprise to find a film at random, that I had never heard of before, and have it turn out to be a small gem. It does not happen enough, but if other film makers would pay attention to a movie like JUWANNA MANN, there just might be a few more. 7/10.
I caught this movie on cable one day, and figured it would be a painful retread of TOOTSIE, but after a while I couldn't turn it off. It is about a pro-basketball player who crosses the line and is booted out of the league, his only recourse being to dress like a woman and play in the WNBA. Not exactly high art. However, the lead character, played by Miguel A. Nunez Jr., is so likable and honest I was amazed with his performance. He puts on a wig and attacks the role with such gusto I couldn't help but take notice; there are also more subtle things that he does that help the film along. Nunez is the the lynch-pin holding the film together. The supporting cast is also quite good: the always reliable Kevin Pollak, the lovely Vivica A. Fox, Tommy Davidson, etc.
The film was also funny...I laughed which does not happen often, not because I am a humorless miser (entirely), but because most films don't strike me as amusing. Don't get me wrong, JUWANNA MANN has it's share of crude humor and a scene involving a traffic stop that goes on too long, but it does not cripple the film, if adds nothing to it. The damn movie is heartwarming, yeah, you heard me...heartwarming! I've never used that term to describe a movie before, but it is. The ending may be formulaic, but for some reason I forgave the film, perhaps because I wanted the characters to be happy. It was certainly a great surprise to find a film at random, that I had never heard of before, and have it turn out to be a small gem. It does not happen enough, but if other film makers would pay attention to a movie like JUWANNA MANN, there just might be a few more. 7/10.
For What It Was, I Have Seen Worse
gavin694226 July 2006
If you are looking for a film where a trash-talking basketball player must become a woman to learn how to act like a member of a team, this film is for you. That's what the previews showed me, and that's what I got. Nothing really shocking or creatively new in this film.
Is the acting okay? Adequate. The directing? Nothing special. Plot? Predictable.
Sorry I can't offer a longer review, but the only thing I can say about this film is the man makes a decent woman. Not an attractive one, but passable. This is the kind of film you watch if it's on television and you don't have cable and are too sick to go outside. Not sure why else you'd make a point to see this unless three sadistic brothers made you.
Is the acting okay? Adequate. The directing? Nothing special. Plot? Predictable.
Sorry I can't offer a longer review, but the only thing I can say about this film is the man makes a decent woman. Not an attractive one, but passable. This is the kind of film you watch if it's on television and you don't have cable and are too sick to go outside. Not sure why else you'd make a point to see this unless three sadistic brothers made you.
hilarious b-ball ...
mtr011825 June 2007
Watching Juwanna Mann kind of reminded me of the 1993 Mrs. Doubtfire film about a man dressing as and acting like a woman. The way Miguel A. Nunez made this person want to play basketball was really hilarious a amusing. Kevin Pollack as his agent was really a powerful spot since only he knew the difference between Juwanna and Jamal Jeffries. I liked the way Jamal told him "You're a feminine Jerry Maguire" Vivica Fox was so hot and perfect as Michele Langsford who at the end did accept Jamal as well as Juwanna. They should try to shoot more films about men dressing up as women just like Dustin Hoffman did in Tootsie an Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire.
I was paid to watch this bomb. It wasn't worth it.
rtpratt4 February 2005
This movie is a horror. Bad acting. Bad plot devices. Bad premise. Bad jokes. It is so rotten that it doesn't qualify for one of those "so bad it's funny" categories. Penis jokes galore. Boy in girl's locker room jokes, even stupider. The premise of man-in-"WUBA" is laughable in itself. Worse, after being thrown out of the NBA for antics that would shame Latrell Sprewell and Denis Rodman, his face/voice/ass-itude/skills are not recognized by any of the professional players on his team. Or his coach. Or his agent, for God's sake. This after a media circus on his actions in the first 3 minutes of the film. This thing is dumb above and beyond the call of duty. And when it tries to grow a soul with the inevitable lesson to be learned schtick, any audience in the world would recognize this as a tacked-on morality lesson to pretend to redeem this pile of dung picture. I was forced to watch it while selling plasma. I got $30 for 2 hours. IT WASN'T WORTH IT! RUN AWAY!
Perfect Comedy!!!
Pumpkin_Man5 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It had been a long time since I saw this movie. I saw it earlier on TV, and refreshed my memory. I forgot how funny it was. It has a great storyline. Miguel A. Núñez, Jr plays Jamal Jeffries, who is a spoiled basketball star who is soon suspended from the team. After he becomes desperate, Jamal decides to join the women's basketball team in order to stay in the game. He disguises himself as a woman and calls himself 'Juwanna Mann' After spending time with them, he begins to fall in love with one of his teammates, Michelle Langford. The team's biggest game happens to fall on the day of Jamal's trial and hopes to be reinstated. Which will he choose? If you love basketball, comedies, and cross-dressers, you'll love JAWANNA MANN!!!
Charming, funny movie - actually kind of sweet, worth a watch
shoolaroon-5950116 October 2020
We all know it's not Shakespeare but I caught this on cable and was surprised at how sweet this movie was. Nothing mean or nasty about it. Egotistic star basketball player finally learns the meaning of team work and true love. Movie has good performances, is funny, sweet, has good messages and I LOVE Jamal's aunt - such a nice relationship there. Also good to see some women's basketball actually taken a bit seriously. This might be a good movie for older kids in sports to learn about being a team player, as long as they can handle some of the inevitable risque jokes.
Broad comedy-in-drag aspires to little and achieves less
herbqedi4 June 2004
Despite faint allusions to morals learned from Tootsie, Love & Basketball, and Mrs. Doubtfire, this low-budget farce is more of a cross between Sorority Boys and Kazaam without quite capturing the charm of either. It doesn't help that Kevin Pollak, the actor with the most accomplished credits in the movie throws away the obviously golden mold of Sydney Pollack in Tootsie to allude to playing Jay Mohr in Jerry Maguire but settle for a pale imitation (to the extent such a thing is possible) of Geoffrey Tambor in the odious Life Stinks. I gave this a 2 instead of a 1 because the title star does make a fairly attractive and physically convincing female athlete when he's not clowning around. Of course, it only gets a 2 instead of a potential 5 or 6 because the film provides NO explanation of how he overnight became familiar enough with female impersonation techniques to pull such a good one off so quickly.
There are a few laughs in this unpretentious and undemanding brain-dead comedy, so if you are looking for background noise while you balance your checkbook or if you have yet to graduate 5th grade, you may find this acceptable. Otherwise, skip it.
There are a few laughs in this unpretentious and undemanding brain-dead comedy, so if you are looking for background noise while you balance your checkbook or if you have yet to graduate 5th grade, you may find this acceptable. Otherwise, skip it.
Man pretends to be woman
MLDinTN14 June 2003
There is nothing new about the plot to this movie. But, it is pretty funny. I liked the part when Juwanna gets pulled over by the cop and it turns out he wants to become a woman. That was good. Also, when Juwanna gives the women tips about men. And Tommy Davidson was funny as Puff Smokey with his silver teeth and his antics with Juwanna. Of course, at the end, our lead character learns a life lesson and changes his way.
FINAL VERDICT: Not a bad way to pass a Saturday afternoon. It isn't too long and does have some humor.
FINAL VERDICT: Not a bad way to pass a Saturday afternoon. It isn't too long and does have some humor.
Juwanna Mann is an insult.
jkptbt5 June 2004
This might have been the worst movie I have ever seen. I wanted to give it a two out of ten simply because he was watching "Sanford and Son" at one point, but I just couldn't bring myself to give it any better than a one. Even if you just try to sit back and laugh, not analyze or look for plot holes, you won't be able to, it's just not funny. There were one or two things that were amusing (at best), but they were lost in all the unfunniness of the rest of the movie. Sometimes you sit there with an expectant smile on your face because you can see that a particular situation is going to have a funny conclusion, then the conclusion comes and they blow it, it's not funny and you are left disappointed. Eventually you learn to not expect anything good.
This movie is an insult to the intelligence and integrity of the movie watching public. From the stupidest most immature movie watcher, to the most distinguished and intelligent, Juwanna Mann is an insult. It's that bad.
This movie is an insult to the intelligence and integrity of the movie watching public. From the stupidest most immature movie watcher, to the most distinguished and intelligent, Juwanna Mann is an insult. It's that bad.
Pretty lame
Smells_Like_Cheese3 December 2003
OK, it had two laughs. But it's just a rip off of Sority boys. A sexist man who gets kicked off of his basketball team joins the girl's basketball team just to somehow get back on. I don't remember. But it was pretty bad.
2/10
2/10
I tried to laugh...I REALLY DID !
maXSepult29 October 2003
Wow...How this movie got more than 2 out of 10 is beyond me. The main character is annoying as hell, with that high pitch Chris Tucker like voice. Just couldn't stand him. The story is simply unoriginal. The jokes are bad, REEEAAALLY BAD ! Nothing but clichés and stereotypes. And that dumbass character Smokey Smoke...I mean, does anyone here know people who actually act like that, cuz I don't know any pimps...Good god what a poor actor. I am being absolutely honest here, I really tried to enjoy this movie, but I didn't even get ONE laugh. This movie is a waste of time, money, and also a waste of good brain cells that could really someday do great things for you.
I'd call this a turkey, but it would be an insult to those poor animals...
I'd call this a turkey, but it would be an insult to those poor animals...
not bad, not great
murdocheatsit25 June 2002
Queers and peers, feast your eyes on Juwanna Mann, a cliche flick w/ no surprises, yet intriguing nonetheless. Look, if you're looking for originality and to be dazzled off your seat, this movie isn't for you. If you're looking for some genuine laughs, and some of those "it's so bad, it's good" scenes, then this is the right movie. It's the worth the 10 bucks to see, but only if you go into the theater with the right attitude. This movie is by no means well done nor original, yet it's so cliche at some parts, and the characters are so stereotyped, that it will actually make you laugh. And yes, there are some genuine comic moments that made me laugh. If you liked big momma's house, go see this movie.
Are You Kidding?
Mahalie4 July 2005
I can't believe I spent some money on this movie. As stupid as it sounds to actually spend money on this movie, I was forced to do so by a friend. This person is no longer my friend. This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. There is nothing in this movie that is ever funny, the plot is insanely stupid and isn't thought out at all. It is so predictable and it is just no fun at all, plain and simple. Just look at it. It's about a man who is can't play basketball in the NBA so he plays in the WNBA. I mean, seriously, what the hell. If you really want to see a man dress as a woman, go watch Tootsie. I would have walked out of the theater, but I promise myself to watch every movie and give it a chance until the end. Please, if you ever consider watching this movie, just don't. You'll hate yourself for wasting your time like that. You would probably have more fun trying to kick yourself in the face. And you'll probably try that after seeing this giant piece of garbage. Stay away from this movie at all costs. A movie couldn't suck any harder than this. I couldn't possibly recommend this movie any less.
A basketball "Tootsie" - lots of fun
bettiem7 September 2003
Jamal Martin is a loud-mouth, arrogant basketball star who is
tossed from the League. In desperation to play, he pretends to be
Juwanna, Mann, a woman basketball player. The women on the
team are all good actresses and very convincing. Jamal as
Juwanna is played very well. There are some crude moments and
sexual innuendo, but it is basically good clean fun with the
phonies exposed and the good people coming out on top. Ir
reminded me of "Tootsie" where another desperate man (Dustin
Hoffman) has to play a woman in order to find a job. I give it a 6 for
creative imagination.
tossed from the League. In desperation to play, he pretends to be
Juwanna, Mann, a woman basketball player. The women on the
team are all good actresses and very convincing. Jamal as
Juwanna is played very well. There are some crude moments and
sexual innuendo, but it is basically good clean fun with the
phonies exposed and the good people coming out on top. Ir
reminded me of "Tootsie" where another desperate man (Dustin
Hoffman) has to play a woman in order to find a job. I give it a 6 for
creative imagination.
Please do NOT waste your money.
furslide14 July 2002
This movie was a waste of time. It was only 91 minutes long but it seemed to drag on forever & ever. The plot was stupid and had too many holes in it. It wasn't even funny. And no one could tell that Juwanna was Jamal just because he had a wig on? What kind of crap is that??? There's so much wrong with this movie. Too many stereotypes and a whole lot of crap. I was so p***ed off when I left. I KNOW i should've gone to see Lilo & Stitch instead. At least I would've laughed. Please don't waste your money on this cuz it is so not worth it.
What's wrong with fun and laughter folks?
Faye-97 June 2003
I was going to rent this one because the previews did look funny. And I love Kevin Polack. Well, it was on cable so I saved a few bucks. But, hey!!! It was funny! Entertaining! Cute! And worth the 90 minutes. Why are so many amateurs critical of films like this - on an artistic level?? And why take it personally about what you all "the stereotyping" of women basketball players? I thought the film portrayed plenty of feminine, attractive characters on that team. Again...lighten up people. You WILL laugh! If you need more reality, watch the nightly news!
Fun for "In Living Color" fans.
Sergeant Hulka24 June 2002
"Juwanna Mann" is not the best of its kind, but if you are a fan of the tv sketch comedy series "In Living Color," you will enjoy seeing ILC alum Tommy Davidson (as a great new character), Kim Wayans, & Jenifer Lewis.
I've Looked Into The Face Of Insanity....
GuyCC30 June 2002
And it is "Juwanna Mann". My friend and I chose this for a "Bad Movie Night" outing, and this couldn't have been more appropriate a title to be so. It follows a formula-based plot with plenty of wacky stereotypes (the sleazy guy who likes him/her, the hip-talking, no-nonsense team member, the girl who needs a friend/decent guy, the agent who acts like he doesn't like the lead character, but has a change of heart by the end.) Silly lines. Predictable circumstances. The bad boy who becomes a changed man by the end. A goofy plot that comes off as a "Tootsie" with a basketball theme. The only way I could ever recommend it is if you too are looking for a suitable candidate for your own "Bad Movie Night". My friend and I laughed through all the parts we shouldn't have. Otherwise, stay far, far away. They didn't even have this one listed on the marquee outside the theater. Kind of says something, really.
I like how they had all the deleted scenes at the end of the film. I guess they figured no one's going to pick this one up when it comes home.
I like how they had all the deleted scenes at the end of the film. I guess they figured no one's going to pick this one up when it comes home.
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