A lot of different ideas come together in 'White Men Can't Jump'. Essentially, the lead character tries to succeed in something that, due to his appearance, demeanour and background, few would expect him to be good at. The twist is that he's a white guy playing basketball. Having been duped out of $7800, he takes to hustling the black neighbourhood players, getting them to bet big money that they'll win, on their naíve assumption that a white man can't be a good basketball player. Adventure, plus a fair share of hilarity, ensues.
I liked the minor prejudices Hoyle and Deane had against each other's races, especially Sidney refusing to believe that Jimi Hendrix's drummer was white. The Brotherhood event is funny, especially the "this could cost us our sponsors" reaction. The Jeopardy satire is neat - it's a good sign that Alex Trebek agreed to have the show's integrity questioned like this. The whole role of money in an impoverished community is tackled in this film - the lengths you go to for it, the risks you take in the process, and the way it may not be everything.
The basketball scenes are filmed impressively, with lots of high-angle shots, and feature what appear to be smart tricks (I'm not much of a basketball watcher, but I gather that the coach who worked with Harrelson and Snipes said they reached college standard, despite both being short for basketball players). The trash-talking is believable and occasionally funny, although I find it juvenile as a concept (although it reminds you that 2Pac and Shakespeare may be more alike than most would assume).
The choice of title is brave, and successful - society has put an inbuilt 'block' on Hoyle, much as it has for non-whites in many areas, and his determination to prove others wrong becomes an undoing. Sexual differences are touched on as well; the film notices the way men are generally more obsessed with victory than women - it is Sidney's wife Rhonda who finds a solution to their initial problems, despite Sidney and Billy's macho attitudes.
It all amounts to one of the few quality sport-themed films, a tight but not over-serious look at race in early 90s America. Parts of it are a little dated, but most of the humour and action still shines through.
I liked the minor prejudices Hoyle and Deane had against each other's races, especially Sidney refusing to believe that Jimi Hendrix's drummer was white. The Brotherhood event is funny, especially the "this could cost us our sponsors" reaction. The Jeopardy satire is neat - it's a good sign that Alex Trebek agreed to have the show's integrity questioned like this. The whole role of money in an impoverished community is tackled in this film - the lengths you go to for it, the risks you take in the process, and the way it may not be everything.
The basketball scenes are filmed impressively, with lots of high-angle shots, and feature what appear to be smart tricks (I'm not much of a basketball watcher, but I gather that the coach who worked with Harrelson and Snipes said they reached college standard, despite both being short for basketball players). The trash-talking is believable and occasionally funny, although I find it juvenile as a concept (although it reminds you that 2Pac and Shakespeare may be more alike than most would assume).
The choice of title is brave, and successful - society has put an inbuilt 'block' on Hoyle, much as it has for non-whites in many areas, and his determination to prove others wrong becomes an undoing. Sexual differences are touched on as well; the film notices the way men are generally more obsessed with victory than women - it is Sidney's wife Rhonda who finds a solution to their initial problems, despite Sidney and Billy's macho attitudes.
It all amounts to one of the few quality sport-themed films, a tight but not over-serious look at race in early 90s America. Parts of it are a little dated, but most of the humour and action still shines through.