Name: Retro Film Review: He Got Game (1998)
Item: He Got Game
Rating: 60
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

The author of this review lives in the city where some of its most famous citizens earned their global reputations by playing basketball. Quality of the game, just like many things in this part of the world, deteriorated in past decades. But my love for the game remained and although it can't be compared with the love felt and expressed by Spike Lee, I can understand what motivated his 1998 drama He Got Game.

The protagonist of the film is Jake Shuttlesworth (played by Denzel Washington), black man who was sentenced to twenty years of prison for killing his wife in a fit of rage. Five years have passed and Jake's son Jesus (played by Ray Allen) is basketball wunderkind and one of the best high school players in the country. Because of that Jake gets summoned by prison warden (played by Ned Beatty). Governor wants Jesus to attend Big State University, his alma mater. Jake is given one week of furlough during which he has to talk Jesus into attending Big State; if Jake succeeds, he would get his sentence reduced. Jake's mission proves to be difficult because Jesus still hates his father over mother's death. In the meantime, Jesus is under enormous pressure of his own. Since he is bound to attend prestigious schools and get lucrative NBA deals, anyone around him - his relatives, friends and even his girlfriend Lala (played by Rosario Dawson) want to secure part of his future wealth. Jesus is also besieged by sports agents and college representatives who use all kinds of methods to make him sign for their respective teams. In the meantime, Jake uses his temporary freedom to befriend prostitute Dakota (played by Milla Jovovich).

Being well-known for his enormous love of basketball, Spike Lee in He Got Game takes somewhat schizophrenic approach to the subject. On one hand, he glorifies the game, while on the other he also recognises that the basketball in modern America is nothing more than part of the entertainment industry. In the end, money matters more than the game and its players. This point is illustrated in brutally honest, unsubtle and sometimes even graphic scenes that show how greedy and corrupt people may become. This approach works, although some may view his use of Aaron Copland's music as pretentious and too "artsy".

Most pleasant surprise in this film comes from Denzel Washington. In most of his 1990s films he used to play saintly characters belonging to black middle-class. Here he plays impoverished blue collar man who slowly (through flashbacks) reveals his dark side, as well as his genuine remorse over the crime he had committed. He easily overshadows Ray Allen, real life NBA player who handled his first film role relatively well. Other supporting actors were much better, namely Spike Lee's old collaborator John Turturro and veterans like Jim Brown and Ned Beatty.

He Got Game is good, insightful and thought-provoking film, but it is also far from perfect. Spike Lee too often indulges in "clever" film tricks that might look irritating after a while. The ending is also somewhat abrupt and too surreal to have cathartic impact. Some subplots, involving young prostitutes, could have been left on the cutting floor. He Got Game could have been a great film, but those missed opportunities shouldn't discourage anyone from enjoying this flawed but powerful piece of modern American cinema.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on June 7th 2004)