He Got Game
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| He Got Game | |
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| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Produced by | Jon Kilik Spike Lee |
| Written by | Spike Lee |
| Starring | Denzel Washington Ray Allen Milla Jovovich John Turturro Rosario Dawson |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 3, 1998 |
| Running time | 136 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
He Got Game is a 1998 drama-sports film directed by Spike Lee starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen as a father and son trying to reconcile on the eve of the son's graduation from a Coney Island high school, and under pressure to decide which college basketball scholarship offer he will accept.
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[edit] Plot summary
Allen's character, named Jesus Shuttlesworth, is an extremely talented basketball player being pursued by the top college programs in the nation. Washington's character is a convicted felon serving time at the Attica Correctional Facility who is temporarily released by the governor, an influential alum of one of the colleges Jesus is considering, so that he might direct his son to sign with the governor's college.
He Got Game offers emotional looks into the varied topics of basketball (including urban dreams of professional success), the dynamics of the father-son relationship, the effects on young black men of growing up with absent fathers or parents, and the moral dilemma of choosing between material gain and the 'right' thing to do.
The film features cameos by several well known basketball players, coaches, and announcers. It opened to mostly mixed reviews. Due to the dark and broody undertone of the film, it often isn't included in praise with other "softer" portrayals of urban basketball such as Coach Carter. One of the film's unique characteristics is that it lacks the "rolling camera" action, depicting a character lost in thought, that Spike Lee is famous for. However, the film does monologue on social issues in the Black community, and briefly shows graphic displays of sex and violence, both characteristic of director Spike Lee.
[edit] Critical Response
Time Out London, in an otherwise generally favourable review, summed up with, "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."[1]
Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half-stars, and called it Lee's best film since Malcolm X. He was particularly encouraged by Lee's determination not to adhere to typical conventions.[2]
[edit] Notes
The soundtrack for He Got Game was a hybrid, composed of numerous orchestral pieces by Aaron Copland with songs created by the political rap group Public Enemy. It was released by Def Jam on April 21, 1998.
- Further information: He Got Game (soundtrack)
The school used in the movie is Abraham Lincoln High School located near Coney Island.
[edit] Box office
He Got Game was produced on an estimated $25,000,000 budget. In the opening weekend of its release, it was shown on 1,319 screens, and took in $7,610,663 at the U.S. box offices. It would eventually gross a total of $21,554,585.
[edit] Cast
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[edit] Awards & nominations
1999 Acapulco Black Film Festival
- Best Actor — Denzel Washington (nominated)
- Best Director — Spike Lee (nominated)
- Best Screenplay — Spike Lee (nominated)
- Best Film (nominated)
- Best Soundtrack (nominated)
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture — Denzel Washington (nominated)
- Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress — Zelda Harris (nominated)
- Outstanding Motion Picture (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award Best Breakthrough Male Performance — Ray Allen (nominated)
[edit] External links
- He Got Game at the Internet Movie Database
- He Got Game at Rotten Tomatoes
- He Got Game at Box Office Mojode:Spiel des Lebens (Film)
| Films directed by Spike Lee |
| Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads • She's Gotta Have It • School Daze • Do the Right Thing • Mo' Better Blues • Jungle Fever • Malcolm X • Crooklyn • Clockers • Girl 6 • Get on the Bus • 4 Little Girls • He Got Game • Freak • Summer of Sam • The Original Kings of Comedy • Bamboozled • A Huey P. Newton Story • Jim Brown: All-American • Sucker Free City • 25th Hour • She Hate Me • Inside Man • When the Levees Broke |
