Directed By Calmatic

Starring – Jack Harlow, Sinqua Walls, Lance Reddick

The Plot – A modern remix of the iconic 1992 film that celebrates the streetball hustling culture of Los Angeles. Multi-platinum rap superstar Jack Harlow makes his movie debut as Jeremy, a former star of the game whose injuries stalled his career, and Sinqua Walls stars as Kamal, once a promising player who derailed his own future in the sport. Juggling tenuous relationships, financial pressures and serious internal struggles, the two ballers; opposites who are seemingly miles apart–find they might have more in common than they imagined possible.

Rated R for pervasive language and some drug material

(1) White Men Can’t Jump | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios – YouTube

POSITIVES

Unlike a majority of contemporary remakes, especially within the straight to streaming variety, this film actually garners meaningful merit for existing over thirty years after its predecessor, in turn supplanting logic in the rendering that actually does offer enough entertainment value for a one time watch at home. For starters, the backstory given to the characters here is tremedously deep and far superior to the 91′ original film, fleshing out each of our respective protagonists not only with the kind of meaningful exposition that enriches the humanity from within their designs, but also towards illustrating both of the longing regrets from their tortured pasts that bonds a friendship into transcending race. Aside from this, the film actually isn’t a shot for shot remake, instead inscribing several completely different directions for the ongoing narrative that allows the remake to stand on its own two feet. Sure, there are familiar elements and homaged callbacks to the original effort that serve the tongue and cheek atmosphere of Calmatic’s music video style execution, but a majority of the material lends itself towards entirely fresh characters and internal conflicts that harvest something nourishingly fresh for the engagement, in turn silencing that preconceived voice of prejudice after seeing the trailers, which had me undeservingly judging a book by its cover. Beyond this, Calmatic himself, a music video director by day, and film director by night, instills a stylistic energy and cultural influence in everything from its off-beat soundtrack choices to flare for cinematography that surprisingly allowed the in-game sequences to flow more smoothly than its predecessor, polishing an organic element to the ensemble’s athletic prowess that makes it all the easier to believe their limitless talent with a basketball, with several long takes inside of patient editing that justifies that praise. Lastly, while much changes about this re-imagining, one thing that doesn’t is the familiarity of faithful backdrops that decorate the movie’s canvas, with courts from that original film once more finding their way back to the game. This will only seem apparent for hardcore fans of the original who appreciated the uniqueness of the Venice beachsides enveloping the hard-hitting edginess of the game’s most visceral personalities. The sunbaked courts and surrounding oceanic waters are still surreal in surrounding the dramatic intensities of the game, and when managed impeccably throughout the thirty years since that has passed, feels almost like landscapes frozen in time with impeccably pristine condition.

NEGATIVES

As for inferiorities to its original, the 2023 version of “White Men Can’t Jump” is sorely handicapped by a lack of chemistry between Harlow and Walls, which can’t even hold a candle to the magnetic rivalry of Harrelson and Snipes in their primes. While there isn’t much criticism in the way each of them approach their respective characters, the missing X-factor of each of them bouncing seamlessly off of one another in dialogue is most apparent, leaving it difficult to remain invested towards characters so limited in the expressive characters that so much of this movie and its material emphatically demands. Speaking of that material, the comedy falls flat on nearly every forgettable example, with punchlines and conversations in execution often overstaying their welcome and overstating their point. This is most surprising considering the free reign of a sought after R-rating essentially gives the screenwriters unlimited and unfiltered access to the avenues of cultural racism that the material could possibly exploit, but too often the consistency of such feels safely scrubbed by a timid lack of pursuit that feels prominent in the remake being released in a politically correct age of cinema. Part of what made the original film such a success was its ability to tap into the preconceived stereotypes of sports and cultural biases, and because doing so much here doesn’t afford the screenwriters the same freedom, based on cancel culture, the limitations of its reach feel condemning to its grasp, leaving very few laughs or compelling focal points to flesh out a deeper conversation. Finally, while I initially commended the film for its series of fresh outlooks to deviate from an immense shadow, the abundance of its sports comedy tropes mount to making this a predictable experience in the exploration of its character conflicts. It’s appreciated that Jeremy and Kamal don’t blend well as a team from the get-go, but it’s never enough to elude the obvious directions that their union takes them, with very few effective long-term conflicts beyond the expected third act break-up that transcends an overwhelming predictability behind every corner.

OVERALL
“White Men Can’t Jump” isn’t as bad as initially perceived but is left inferior from a lack of palpable chemistry between its leads that stumbles on the kind charisma and personality that the film yearns for so desperately. Though inexcusably flawed enough to be a surefire slam dunk, the film’s deviating material among backstory and corresponding conflicts does supplant an inspiring boost off of the bench that continuously keeps this remake in the game, with a touching final performance from Lance Reddick to its benefit.

My Grade: 6/10 or C