He Got Game (1998) Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper. Written and directed by Spike Lee. 131 minutes. R, 3 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com/film/ Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott
The tagline for Spike Lee's latest drama is "The Father, the Son and the Holy Game." The lead character's name is Jesus and they don't use the Spanish pronunciation. Although the story is set largely in impoverished areas, the Coney Island backdrops, packed with colorful storefronts, amusement park rides and acres of neon, give the film a romantic look of seedy grandeur. Aaron Copland's rich, melodramatic orchestral score is reminiscent of the music from films like "Rebel Without A Cause." Even the pop songs, by the reunited Public Enemy, are unusually somber and understated. It's clear that Lee intends this film to be far more than just another movie about sports and father/son conflicts. His goal is to make "He Got Game" a classic.
Unfortunately, while Lee has crafted a film that looks and sounds terrific, he fails to make the central storyline as compelling. A week after seeing "He Got Game," the sounds and images still resonate in my memory, but the people don't. Populated with too many characters who are sketchy or unsympathetic, and burdened with a flat performance from first- time actor Ray Allen, "He Got Game" narrowly misses making the all- important human connection. The result is still a good film, but not the great one it could have been.
The story is straightforward enough. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington,) serving a lengthy prison sentence for killing his wife, receives a offer from the warden. Jake's son Jesus (Allen) is the top high school basketball player in America and everyone wants a piece of what could be the next Michael Jordan. Resisting the lure of joining the NBA and gaining immediate wealth, the young athlete is determined to attend college, and has only a few days to choose from the hundreds of scholarships being offered him. The governor wants Jesus to attend his alma mater, Big State, and relays his proposition through the warden. Jake will be temporarily paroled, under the scrutiny of two officers. If he can convince his son to sign a letter of intent for Big State, Jake's sentence will be commuted. If not, it's back to the slammer for Dad. Of course, Jesus loathes Jake, so the task won't be an easy one.
"He Got Game" has two dominant themes; the exploitation of student athletes, and the estranged relationship between father and son. Both have been dealt with many times before, but if handled correctly, even the most well-worn themes can seem fresh. Of the two, Lee does better with the former than the latter. Jesus is virtually smothered by people who want to feed off his talent and suffers great stress from the pressure. While everyone from his uncle to his girlfriend angle for their piece of the pie, the media has already made the kid a star. Lee is a major basketball fan, and his commercials for sports shoes have made him richer than his movies, so he knows this world well. His portrait of sports stars as false gods is painted in broad strokes, but it works, thanks to Lee's great style. Highlights include a hilarious cameo from John Turturro as a college coach trying to woo the young man with an over- the-top multimedia pitch, and a gaudy ESPN documentary called "Jesus of Coney Island." Subtle? No. Effective? Yes. To add authenticity, Lee peppers the film liberally with cameos from everybody from Reggie Miller to Michael Jordan.
The film's many basketball scenes are quite believable, because Lee hired the real deal to do the job. Jesus' high school teammates are played by Travis Best of the Pacers, John Wallace of the Raptors, Walter McCarty of the Celtics and Rick Fox of the Lakers. Unfortunately, Lee also cast a real basketball player in the lead role. Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks plays Jesus and as an actor, well, Allen is a great ballplayer.
Denzel Washington, who generally has trouble playing anyone other than a boy scout, is very effective as Jesus' father, a frustrated ballplayer who drove his son mercilessly, severely damaging the relationship with his boy long before the fateful incident with his wife. Washington gives a credible, layered performance that triumphs over the script's rough spots, even a superfluous subplot involving a battered hooker ("The Fifth Element's" Milla Jovovich,) but there's only so much he can do while working with an amateur. Allen's monotone performance lessens the impact of even the most dramatic scenes between father and son.
The lack of well-rounded or sympathetic supporting players doesn't help the film, and casting Allen was a critical mistake, but not a fatal one. Despite its problems, "He Got Game" has tremendous style and a fair amount of substance. Not enough to make the film a classic, but more than enough to warrant a viewing.
© 1998, Ed Johnson-Ott
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