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He Got Game

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He Got Game (1998)
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Genre Drama
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He Got Game overview

Denzel Washington and writer-director Spike Lee team for the third time with this contemporary basketball drama focusing on a promising athlete, the son of a convict-father. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) has been in prison for six years when tough prison-warden Wyatt (Ned Beatty) tells him that he's getting a temporary parole with the promise of a commuted sentence. However, there's a trade-off -- Jake must talk his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth (NBA star Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks), the top-ranked high-school basketball player in the country, into signing with the governor's alma mater, Big State. A flashback makes it clear that Jesus' mother (Lonette McKee was accidentally killed by Jake during a violent family fight. After Jake went to prison, the resentful Jesus was left alone to raise his sister Mary (Zelda Harris). Now several colleges are offering Jesus scholarships, and montages satirize the manner in which young athletes are wooed by educators and coaches across the country. However, Jake will soon be back behind bars if he can't get Jesus to sign with Big State within the week. Meanwhile, the greed of other family members begins to surface. John Turturro is seen in a cameo as Coach Billy Sunday, and several real-life coaches can also be spotted in this movie. Music by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) with songs by Public Enemy. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

News & Reviews

He Got Game News & Reviews

"If Spike Lee weren't so self-absorbed, he would probably be one of the best filmmakers around today. "
3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5
04 February 2008
"After a couple of seriously worrying missteps, Lee is back at the top of his game, positioning himself as one of the best American filmmakers of his day. And for anyone who still thinks he's a social realist, check out the breathtaking ending."
4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5
03 February 2008
"Denzel Washington stars as a prison inmate trying to earn himself an early release by talking his estranged son into playing basketball at the governor of New York's alma mater."
3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5
"The movie is a volatile combination of ambitious mythmaking and nasty reality, and like most of Spike Lee?s work, it is also an inextricable combination of good and bad."
4.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 5
"Lee uses visual imagination to lift his material into the realms of hopes and dreams."
4.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 5

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