not every shot is a hit
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson were a golden combination in 1992 when the original version of White Men Can’t Jump came out. A good comedy featuring a street version of basketball, including hustler And talk of smack That’s related. I was very surprised, but also curious, when I saw that a remake is coming to Disney+ this year. Does this version also score three-pointers nothing but net Or is it better to stay on the reserve bench?
Basketball may not be as big as (American) football, but the fans are just as fanatical. Things get especially heated in the street: Some bets go so far as miserable losers pull guns and claim the other is cheating. If you’ve lost a few hundred dollars and your respect, you’ve got to do something.
talented people
White Men Can’t Jump (2023) stars Cinqua Walls (Power, American Soul) as Kamal, a black boy who had a great chance to break into the premier basketball division in the US, the NBA. Kamal has his dream shattered by an accident in high school and now has a poorly paid job where he is not happy. He still plays basketball occasionally, but with little enjoyment. In the beginning you can clearly see that what happened in the past still haunts her and she needs to wake up to put it behind her.
The other major role is played by Jack Harlow. This is his debut, but he is already known as a successful rapper. He plays the role of Jeremy, a boy who was once very talented but suffered from a number of physical complaints. Now he is struggling to make ends meet with all kinds of petty deals. Jeremy is white and as the title says, people still think white people aren’t good at basketball. That’s not true: The movie leaves out the names of some of the white players who made it this far. In the original, the title referred primarily to the fact that white men could not dunk, that they were particularly good at free throws. Woody Harrelson then showed that this was not true for every white player.
What is it really about?
The story of this movie is exactly like the original: these two boys are in need of money. They do this by using Jeremy’s white color to trick the other players into thinking he cannot play.
Jeremy tries to convince Kamal that it’s out of date that white people can’t play. Jeremy walks around like some kind of health guru and tries to sell his healthy smoothies to others. Not exactly what you expect on a basketball court. Despite this, he shows several times in the film that he is actually nice and uses prejudice towards white basketball players to win bets. In addition, he can be very annoying: his comments frustrate the other party, so that they can no longer concentrate.
OG (original guest) performed better
Basketball, street culture and hip-hop go together like a good Fricandale special. In this regard, the film does very well. Amidst the humiliation and discord, you get to see some moves and you see how others get beaten up. As a fan of the game, it’s worth seeing that the blondes can’t jump for it alone. The music fits the film and really adds something, but you’ve got to love it. They mix some old school classics (Passing Me By the Pharisee and Voa! by Black Robe) with songs from the past few decades, with a special spot for Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.
Where the film fails is with the typical standard scenes. Kamal’s boyfriend has a sister who doesn’t like him and it becomes clear early on that something bad is about to happen to his father. That father is played by Lance Reddick. A small role, but with its characteristic seriousness. Since his death earlier this year, his role has become even more important.
Another point where the film loses points in my opinion is how the switch goes with Kamal and Jeremy from antagonists to enemies. It is very sudden and comes almost out of nowhere. Of course you know it’s going to be like this, the setup is that simple, but avocados also don’t go bad so quickly from fresh. This is especially notable because Kamal and Jeremy are literally at opposite ends of the spectrum: black and white, honest workers and hustlers, one overestimating himself and the other underestimating himself. From fiercely arguing to “Hey, are you coming to my kid’s birthday party?”.