Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
There have been so many remakes throughout the history of cinema, and most of them are bad. Fortunately, the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, directed by Calmatic, proves that, if executed the proper way, they can succeed, and that is exactly what this remake does.
The original film, released in 1992, featured the leads of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson to great success. It did so well at defending the saying, “White men can’t jump,” albeit that Woody executes his jump at the climax of the film.
White Men Can’t Jump was a fantastic basketball film that featured themes of gambling addiction, chasing success, and what it is like to really hustle in something like street basketball. Ultimately, the film embraced what it would be like for two men to team up and be the best on the court when most of the other guys doubt they can even dribble and stand with the rest.
This remake doesn’t touch on the same themes as the original, which is one of the things that makes it work so well and sets it apart from its predecessor. It respects the original enough to make something new and shows that it never really needed the original to even exist, which I think is why I like it so much more than the original.
A quick anecdote: the 1992 film was very much made for the ’90s, and even though my father is only in his mid-forties, it is also very much a movie made for his kind of basketball generation. Moreover, the 2023 film is very much in that same vein: it’s a movie for this generation of basketball and players of the sport in so many more ways than just simply being about who can and cannot dunk.
Along with respecting what came before, the film isn’t afraid to really let Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow shine and show off, especially on the court. The original did this too, but it focused on too many subplots at times to keep the film moving, and the remake trades in those subplots for more basketball and development from our two main characters and their partners, along with great foil characters. Calmatic’s White Men Can’t Jump is a very welcoming change of pace.
No spoilers to follow.
White Men Can’t Jump‘s Protagonists
White Men Can’t Jump begins with Kamal Allen, played in this sequence by Anthony Hamilton Jr., in his senior year of high school. He was the number one recruit in the country, but something happens to Kamal and he never makes it to the pros. Ten years later, Kamal, now played by Sinqua Walls, plays pickup ball from time to time in his high school gym with his friends Renzo, played by Myles Bullock, and Speedy, played by rapper Vince Staples. Renzo and Speedy are honestly some of the best foil characters I have seen in some recent pictures.
Enter Jeremy Crandall, played by rapper Jack Harlow in his feature film acting debut. He played at Gonzaga, but due to injuries never made it past college. In a similar, but much more obvious and intentional way, he looks like he cannot play basketball, like Billy Hoyle (Harrelson) from the original. Although, in its own fashion, the film quickly establishes that Kamal and Jeremy are quite different from Sidney Deane and Billy Hoyle.
The chemistry between the two leads of the film stands out the most among the cast; seeing their change from the beginning to the end of the film is great. There are several sequences of just pure basketball and it is extremely entertaining to watch. Ultimately, by the end, everything our two leads have been through feel worth it and you should leave the film feeling satisfied for Jeremy and Kamal.
The Supporting Characters
Kamal’s wife, Imani, played by Teyana Taylor, is a great co-star for Walls, along with Jeremy’s girlfriend Tatiana, played by Laura Harrier. Tatiana leaves the film for most of Acts Two & Three, but otherwise, I really enjoyed seeing her on screen again. Both women keep their men in check and the film even paves the way for their respective journeys as well without distracting from the main plot. It is fantastic to see them move along with their men.
Blake Griffin — a producer for this remake — and Tyler Herro also make appearances in the film for brief moments, which is cool. Andrew Schulz also makes several appearances in the film. However, he just feels like he doesn’t really belong and is just the annoying guy at the gym. He could have been edited out entirely.
The court itself also feels more like a character of the film as well. Everything is played out on the court, from talking shit to Jeremy or Kamal punching someone in the face for being a dick, or someone going to their car and grabbing their flamethrower. It feels similar to Spike Lee‘s Do the Right Thing in that vein, and it really helps the film out in moments where it might slow down.
Finally, the late Lance Reddick appears throughout the film in one of his final roles, here as Benji Allen, Kamal’s father. He shares a great scene with Walls right before the climax of the film and essentially tells him to embrace his goals as a father and husband, but also push himself if he can, relating to basketball. Reddick could have appeared more, yet, like with Harrier, they were still exceptional to watch regardless.
Technical Elements
Calmatic’s debut, the House Party remake, from earlier this year was a little underwhelming. Although, there is a basketball sequence in that film that is noteworthy, and a good display of what he would do for this remake of White Men Can’t Jump. His second outing is so much more entertaining to watch in terms of sheer camerawork. His technique here feels like something from a Paul Thomas Anderson film, or even that of Damien Chazelle. At times, it also felt like a small callback to Quentin Tarantino, especially with the car scenes and the angles captured there; sometimes, even when one character walks up to another and they converse.
The basketball sequences are so much more smooth than the original as well. Oftentimes, Calmatic will follow the ball, rather than entirely Walls or Harlow, which works more in his favor than not. It is some fantastic camerawork for a sports film too. The wide and bird’s-eye-view shots are also great to see as well, and a good chance of pace from following the ball, for example. The mix doesn’t feel more one-sided than the other, and that makes the film more entertaining to watch. Slow motion is also used sometimes, and its usage is quite impressive. It is never overdone, which is why it works well.
Another thing that helps this film succeed is that the original’s creator and director, Ron Shelton, co-wrote the story with screenwriters Kenya Barris and Doug Hall. More often than not, these remakes will not have the original creator involved, and it typically makes the film so much worse than intended. Having Shelton’s involvement that much in this remake is beneficial.
Marcelo Zarvos’s score could also be ranked with other great sports film scores like Rocky or Remember the Titans. It is used quite sparingly, but when used, it is to great effect and makes scenes feel more worthwhile to sit through. Music supervisor Gabe Hilfer and team’s song selections throughout the film also make it much more entertaining and the sound mixing is fantastic. The music is usually queued through a transition of another game or shot from Jeremy or Kamal. Still, it is so nice and adds to the feel and tone of the film. Jonathan Schwartz’s editing is very quick and smooth as well. It helps move the basketball sequences along nicely.
Final Thoughts
I did not expect much going into this remake of White Men Can’t Jump. Surprisingly, I was thoroughly entertained during the whole film. It really does not skip any beats, and if you look away for even a second, you could miss a really nice basketball shot. Everyone is bound to be entertained by this film.
Calmatic made a superb remake that respects the original enough to become its own film. It paves the way for its characters and the direction is some of the best that I have ever seen in a sophomore feature. It will be great to see what Calmatic does next.
4/5 stars.
Calmatic’s remake of White Men Can’t Jump begins streaming via Hulu starting tomorrow, May 19th!
For more reviews of this upcoming summer film releases, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
3 Comments on “‘White Men Can’t Jump’ Remake Non-Spoiler Review – A Film For This Current Generation”