Lee's attack on how big business is not only ruining the game he loves but also playing with people's lives is direct and brave, while his passion, insight and intelligence are evident and admirable.
He Got Game (1998)
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Synopsis: Spike Lee turns his attention to the high-stakes world of basketball with this charged drama. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is serving 15 years for playing a role in the death of his wife. His son, Jesus (Ray Allen), is the best high school basketball player in the country. One week... Spike Lee turns his attention to the high-stakes world of basketball with this charged drama. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is serving 15 years for playing a role in the death of his wife. His son, Jesus (Ray Allen), is the best high school basketball player in the country. One week before Jesus must sign a letter of intent to the college of his choice, Jake is granted a temporary reprieve. The catch is that the state's governor wants the prodigy to go to his alma mater and is willing to consider commuting Jake's sentence if he can persuade Jesus to go there. When the time comes for Jesus to make a decision, both father and son are forced to confront their past and present actions--as a role reversal has taken place during Jake's time in prison that sparks a heated confrontation on the basketball court. Lee's unusual choice to use the music of Aaron Copland, an American classical composer, for the soundtrack and his concept of pairing it with the national sport of basketball is a contrast that is made even more striking by the other contributing artists, notably the insistent urban sound provided by Public Enemy. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Bill Nunn, Jim Brown
DVD Info
Release:
Oct 11, 1998
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Letterboxed - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers - Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Reviews
Most scenes play too long, with a surplus of ideas, textures, tones and characters, and after 134 minutes it's clear Lee's problem with closure hasn't gone away.
After a couple of seriously worrying missteps, Lee is back at the top of his game, positioning himself as one of the best American filmmakers of his day.
Lacking the moral indignation and militant politics of Lee's former work, this vibrantly colorful father-son melodrama is soft at the center, but it's one of the most accessible films Lee has made and Denzel Washington is terrific.
At the end of Mr. Lee's movie, all you feel is the distraction of Mr. Lee's stylistic exhibitionism, without which, I concede, he might not be regarded as a genius in some quarters.
[Lee] gets a charming performance from Allen, who, in his acting debut, occupies his pedestal with grace and diffidence.
Though too long by a good half hour, Lee's latest film packs a genuine emotional punch.
As usual, Lee tries many kinds of stylistic effects and uses wall-to-wall music (by Aaron Copland and Public Enemy); what’s different this time is how personally driven the story feels.
Lee paints intimate characters who are about more than the game. Themes of integrity, honesty, loyalty and familial love are woven through the film resulting in a complex, thought-provoking human drama.
Shrewdly exposes the underbelly of college recruiting and the pressures exerted on talented high school basketball stars.
It is a wonderful thing to watch two artists work so well together. I am speaking, in this case, of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.
The hypocritical misogyny of He Got Game is a fundamental weakness that reviewers so far have been happy to downplay or even to dismiss.
Lee should have drawn up a tighter game plan but just the same his hoops hoopla still has enough game (mostly in the form of Washington) to win over the audience.
Only a director as good as Spike Lee could make a coherent movie out of this messy, jejune set-up ...
Washington's Jake Shuttlesworth looks tough and hard, an odd but refreshing turn for an actor long associated with handsomely heroic roles.
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