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 (USA) |
| Release date(s) | May 1, 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 NBA guard Ray Allen as a father and son trying to reconcile on the eve of the signing day for his son, the #1 prep player from Abraham Lincoln High School (New York), and under pressure to decide which college basketball scholarship offer he will accept.
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[edit] Plot summary
Ray 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 Attica State Prison for accidentally killing his wife (his son's mother) by pushing her while arguing with his son. The father 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 mixed reviews. Due to the dark and brooding undertone of the film, it often isn't included in praise with other "softer" portrayals of urban basketball such as "Coach Carter".
The film includes several of Spike Lee's signature touches, including a monologue on social issues in the Black community and brief and graphic depictions of sex and violence.
[edit] Critical response
Time Out London, in a negative 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. That was the school name used on his high school jersey throughout the movie, however the scenes were actually shot in Brooklyn Technical High School, from the gymnasium to the classrooms. This may have been a first choice by Lee because his brother lives across the street from the High School.
Walter McCarty was also an NBA basketball player for the Boston Celtics at the time this movie was made and released. Ray Allen would later join the Celtics in 2007. Rick Pitino was also a coach for the Boston Celtics.
[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 debuting at number 1. It eventually grossed a total of $21,554,585, making it a commercial failure.
[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 Mojo
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