The surprise element here is that the film takes Monica's career, and her love of the game, as seriously, probably more seriously, than it does Quincy's.
Told largely from the point of view of the woman, this career-versus-love story still develops the perspective of the man persuasively, as Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps reveal their characters' motives with nuances of expression that transcend the dialogue.
At the end of this weak comedy is a strange and touching scene in which Bill Cosby and his childhood pals from Philadelphia, now elderly men, gather at the grave of Albert Robertson, the real-life inspiration for Cosby's bighearted Fat Albert.
The Cosby touch (he's co-writer and co-executive producer) is in full effect, schmaltz notwithstanding, as Albert and the gang run through their series of pleasantly diverting escapades.