One of Denzel's Most Underrated

Rating: 7/10 (21 April 2020)

As a massive sports fan and a movie lover, He Got Game has always been near the top of my watchlist, but for whatever reason, it took many years for me to finally pop it in and check it out. From someone who has only seen a small handful of Spike Lee films, He Got Game felt like a solid (if somewhat lacking) entry into his filmography. Spike made the choice of having Ray Allen play the local legend "Jesus Shuttlesworth" instead of choosing a real actor, which in my mind could be seen as a massive mistake or a brilliant decision, I go both ways. On one hand, it's often a distraction when big films try and pass a normal actor as an incredibly gifted athlete but you also run the risk of an athlete being exposed up against other talented actors in the film. That's exactly what happens here. Not only does Allen fail to give Jesus any sort of personality, but his skills (or lack thereof) are suspect when Denzel is on screen. It would be one thing if the film was more basketball than life focused, but it's not. Luckily, I think that's where the movie's strengths are, when the film delves deep into Jake's psyche and not worrying too much about the basketball side. Would I have hoped for a more well-rounded film? Of course, but there's still plenty to like here.
7.0/10