MOVIE REVIEW - "He Got Game"

Yes, I'm apparently the only Black person on the planet who hasn't seen every single Spike Lee Joint, including He Got Game. Well, as of last night, I'm one step closer to the glory. (No pun-intended; I *have* seen "Glory," at least... Oh, that's not a Joint? Damn!). Anyway, I figured that if I hurry, I might be able to get my review in JUST under the 8-year mark. :p


* As usual, I begin by stating that my only qualifications as a reviewer extend no further than my love of television and film. I'm not an academic, when it comes to this particular topic. I just talk about what I like and what I don't like. *

The Story. The Plot Outline, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB): "A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence."

I like it.

Being a high-profile basketball star is the dream of many a young, Black male. A lucky (or unlucky) few ever achieve this goal. It was nice to see the story of a Black high school phenom on the big screen.

Seeing the pressures of family, responsibility, and burgeoning celebrity from this perspective was a first, for me. Other flicks have touched on it, but I've never seen one that immersed the audience in that protagonist's world, leaving them flailing around, gasping for air.

Congratulations, you've now been Baptized into the world of celebrity. And, chances are, you're much older than the 18-year-old high school student, trying to raise his sister on his own.

The Acting. This is a (somewhat early) Spike Lee Joint. They're not typically known for the awe-inspiring acting performances.

While this movie was a 1998 release (much later than I'd have guessed), it's still got the classic ear-markings: funky camera angles, odd music choices (although these were the worst), and terrible, terrible acting by much of the supporting cast.

Denzel's often over-hyped, in my opinion. In this flick, though, his performance was more than adequate, with a sprinkling or two of the superb. The bastard almost made me cry. HE got game.

Rosario Dawson did her thing, too. I might even go so far as to say that hers was a stand-out performance, in the film. She wasn't perfectly polished, but she did a helluva lot better than Ray Allen.

Sorry Ray. You did okay. But keep your day job.

One-time for Jim Brown, mother@$^$er. Nobody plays an asshole like Jim Brown. That crooked-ass lip is da shyt.

The StoryTELLING.
I've got no major issues with the way Spike told this story, I guess.

I mean, Spike gets graded on his own curve. It's not because he's Black (is it??). It's just that Spike's style is ... so STYLIZED. Much of it is deliberately over-the-top and the parts that probably aren't deliberately so... give you pause.

I will say, though, that he (or someone) made some odd music choices in this film. It took me out of the story too many times. It was so incongruous, even for a Joint, that it actually distracted me over and over and over, again.

Also, those Kevin Smith-length monologues were a little trying, but that's aight, I guess.

Pacing was good, consistency was there, and there were enough layers for anyone who cared to look.

The heart was there and so was I.

Recommended?
Yes, but I admit to being somewhat biased - not because of Spike (and maybe in-spite of him) but because male-bonding and father-son stories, particularly heart-felt ones involving a Black males, are hard on a brutha.

I think one of the reasons I didn't see this film sooner was because Denzel's character reminded me, too much, of my own father... in good ways and bad.

I'm glad I finally saw this flick.