Delayed Reaction: He Got Game

The Pitch: The incarcerated father of the #1 basketball recruit in the nation get a furlough in order to convince his son to go to college at the governor's alma mater. A Spike Lee film.

I saw this movie for one reason and one reason only: I wanted in on the Jesus Shuttlesworth jokes. I'm a big basketball fan, so I knew Ray Allen picked up that name from a Spike Lee movie he was in. I didn't really get the reference though. Now that he's functionally retired, I of course finally decided to get on the bandwagon. It also helps that I'd heard praise for Denzel Washington's performance, and I'm always looking to figure out what I think of Spike Lee as a director (I really should know by now but I don't). The most enjoyment I got out of the film was the cameos by actual basketball people, especially the coaches (they all look so young). All the basketball made this the most accessible Spike Lee I've found for me. Ray Allen is a better actor than I expected. Not great. Not all that good. But, much better than I'd expect for a professional athlete with no experience. I do wonder what the Kobe Bryant version (Lee's first choice for the role) would've looked like. It goes on a little long and I couldn't help but question the discrepancies of what I do know about college recruiting processes vs. what's portrayed in the film. The villainous characters are arch in that way that annoys me in Lee's films. Denzel really keeps it watchable though.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend