White Can't Jump - a true sports movie classic

White Can't Jump - a true sports movie classic

The comedy every fan needs to watch

White Can't Jump is a true classic when it comes to sports movies. It's a comedy about two basketball geeks - a black and a white - who try to outsmart each other. It is a film about loyalty, betrayal, whose language and time perfectly fit the style of the 90s when it was released and quickly gained popularity not only in the United States, but also around the world. It's a lot of fun and offers some pretty wise moments at the same time.

The action takes place on outdoor asphalt basketball courts in Los Angeles, and specifically Venice Beach in the Crenshaw neighborhood. There, money is bet on matches between amateurs. Starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Snipes' character is struggling with his main job due to the downturn in the economy and is trying to make some extra money playing basketball. Billy Hoyle, played by Harrelson, has the comical appearance of a goofily smiling weirdo wearing baggy shorts, a backwards hat, and looking overly distracted, leading victims to bet that he will lose his matches. He doesn't need money, but his victories give him incredible pleasure and tickle his ego.

The film shows us how basketball is played in tough urban environments, and director Ron Shelton, who is also a screenwriter, is fully aware of the way his characters speak and act. He relies on a lot of mockery and boasting, making the language used one of the great weapons of the film. His energy and spirit seem completely unintentional and make the actors look like gifted improvisers. Originality only emphasizes its lasting effect. The crude insults have been replaced by highly creative and strange but good-sounding crude expressions, which you can only understand if you watch this piece of cinema for yourself.

Interestingly, this isn't just a basketball movie. The director, who shined with another sports comedy four years earlier, knows all about sports and how they affect the elderly. He is aware of how the appearance of boys in the game can blur the reality of men. In White Can't Jump, the main characters have women who demand that they be far more masculine than what they show on the basketball court.

Billy's girlfriend is from Puerto Rico, played by Rosie Perez, who won many fans with one of the funniest sports comedy performances of all time. Her supporting role, which presents the actress in a different light than she is known for, deserves at least an Oscar nomination. Harrelson and Perez's characters have an enthusiastic physical relationship that is treated with refreshing directness.

Despite expectations, "Whites Can't Jump" lacks sex scenes. They are replaced by friendly warmth that is expressed through comfort with nudity. Often in movies you get the feeling that the actors in the love scenes have rehearsed them to the point of pain and every frame is calculated to the finest nuance. Here, Perez and Harrelson create characters who know and enjoy each other.

On the other side, Sidney Dean, Snipes' character, is married and his home life is far more complicated. Tyra Farrell plays his wife. However, Dean's day job can't pay the bills and isn't enough to support a family with children, so he needs extra money.

The constant team-ups and feuds between Sidney and Billy lead to the film's ability to provide a predictable sports formula leading up to the big, actual game. But even in this work there are surprises.

White Can't Jump is a wonderful comedy with an upbeat, touch of sadness and sweetness that makes it far better than the plot itself could.