MovieChat Forums > He Got Game (1998) Discussion > dumb things about this movie

dumb things about this movie

posted 20 years ago by patriotssbchmp02
58 replies | jump to latest

This movie was good. I was a senior in high school when this movie came out, so I could relate to it at the time. A couple of things were dumb about the movie.

I used to think it was impossible for a kid in high school to receive this much attention, so that he'd be featured on Sportscenter. But then look what happened with Lebron James, who became more famous than most NBA players while he was still in high school. This movie was prophetic in that regard.

Now for the dumb things.

1) No way in hell would Shuttlesworth choose some fictional college over the NBA. He was a kid from the projects and would be a top draft pick. Why wouldn't he choose to go pro? No way he turns down money either. They were trying to make this kid a saint.

2) Ray Allen was too clean cut for the role. No tattoos, no cornrows, no thug appeal, etc. He was supposed to be from a Brooklyn housing project. Where the hell was his Brooklyn accent?

3) Why was Denzel in jail? He accidentally killed his wife. Why not make him a drug dealer, or a bank robber? Instead, they made him out to be a saint in jail.

4) Why give the character the name "Jesus?" Give the guy a normal name for crying out loud.

5) Spike Lee must love interracial sex. He had about 10 different scenes like that in this movie alone.

6) Get some kids who look like high school students. He had men who were like 25 years old play the part of high school teammates.

7) Jesus' said his mother would roll in her grave if he was ever with a white woman. Well it looked to me that his mother was pretty damn white herself. Couldn't they find a black actress to play the part of his dead mother?

8) When Jesus was supposed to be younger and was playing bball with his father. He looked nothing like Ray Allen. The kid was light skinned. Did his skin just darken as he got older and his Brooklyn accent fade away?

I liked this movie, but certain things just made no sense.

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

The scene with Big Time driving the red mercedes.

In one shot you can see the car is going about 2 mph.

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

Casting Allen was a big mistake. He looks very uncomfortable and really looks awkward in scenes with professional actors.

Casting Fox also was an error. He looks too old.

And all the chicks falling all over them is ridiculous. Two of them kiss him on the mouth the first time they meet him?

Ridiculous.

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

Another dumb thing is that Jesus, if he really is so good, should destroy
his dad in the game. Shouldn't even be close.

The dad is a scrub and old, and shorter.

Jesus plays no D at the beginning.

What is the ridiculous scenario of the dad getting released from prison for this silly premise?

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

When he throws the ball over the prison wall, and it is shown in slow motion, and then it cuts to the old ball flying into the Big State arena.

That was hilarious, and completely absurd.

I couldn't freakin' believe that. I still can't believe it.

I mean, with that kind of logic, why not have Jesus holding a Big Mac and a Whopper in the last shot?

Also the shots of him wearing the crown of thorns and so forth was so goofy and bizarre, it wasn't dramatic, or funny or anything. Just really poorly thought out.

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

Another dumb thing is the reference to the white sluts. What, those black guys don't have black sluts?

Where were all the black sluts???

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] atomecks 19 years ago

"The way white females are talked about in this movie, they're all portrayed as rich, spoiled girls who have no interest in white males, just black athletes and they'd do anything for them. They'd let them "drive around in their Daddy's Benz." This, atleast to me, is racist beyond belief. All the white females in the movie are sluts. They're "hooked" on black males. It's disgusting and it's some type of fantasy land that Spike Lee seems to be living in."

I think it's obvious that Jesus's visit to Tech U was completely scripted. All that stuff about driving their Daddy's Benz was just said to persuade him. Put yourself in Tech U's position. Here you have the number one high school prospect who is considering going to your school. You are doing to do anything to make him attend Tech U. Throwing lots of beautiful white women in his face is pretty persuasive. Give him the message that people will love him! White women will sleep with him at a moment's notice! Maybe it's really true, maybe it isn't. Regardless, they're just playing him. Pretty messed up, but I think that's what Spike Lee wanted to get across.

[–] atomecks 19 years ago

"-Finally, the newspaper article about Jake states that he was an escaped convict (I thought he was released on parole) who was caught after a 7 day manhunt (which makes no sense considing the cops were aware of his whereabouts the entire time, and if it were a manhunt he would have been violently apprehended) "

It's a point Lee is trying to get across at a couple points in the movie about propaganda and people believing what they're told. Remember when Jesus's sister was talking to Jesus just before they went to bed? About playing pro and having his own shoe etc? She says "I hear what you say, but if everybody's sayin' the same thing, it's gotta be true." Not true of course.

And the news story was all lies. Do you actually believe everything that the news tells you? Besides, would the warden and the governor want everybody to know that they let a convicted felon out of prison to persuade his son that if attends Big State he'll be released early? 'Couse not. The story was made up to cover them.

[–] Bonita_AppleBum 19 years ago

Please get off of Lonette Mckee's OVARIES!!!

SHE'S BLACK!!! Her father is Black and her Mother is Scandinavian...please leave her alone.

If u haven't noticed...Spike likes to cast the people who he's worked with previously. She is in many of his films, Jungle Fever, She Hate Me etc...as well as Denzel, Wesley, and that guy who played Paulie in Jungle Fever is in all of his movies. He likes using her and if it well make her money to pay her bills what's wrong with giving her a role?? And not to mention she's a good, no GREAT actress!!! In Jungle Fever, her and Wesley Snipes character were married and had a daughter together and she wasn't "light-skinned." Many children take after the males, like me for instance, My mother is a light caramel color and my father is a chocolate color, and me...that's right i'm chocolate and I LOVE IT!!! Do the research before u get all pumped up next time please...I love this movie!!!

And before u get upset, we all have opinions...I DON'T agree with yours but I DO respect it.

Bonita_AppleBum

[–] tyurbrner 19 years ago

When Jake is being driven back to Brooklyn for the first time, he has food poisoning.

The white police officer just happens to have a bottle of pepto-bismol???

Yeah, right.

That's dumb.

Then, when they drop him off in the hotel room, he gives him a blue plastic bottle, again!!!

He gave him one in the car, why would he have to give him another one??

Also, the song that is played during the first b-ball game is now used in
a chicken commercial for TV, they should have used music that can't be used
by other people.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] ny756 18 years ago

way to feed into stereotypes. Why did Denzel have to be some type of monster?? Why did Jesus have to be some type of thug? Why did he have to ge pro and take all the bribes instead of getting an education? Just because he was from the hood?!?!?! damn...is that what you think everybody in the projects is like? Get real.