super-talented basketball player from the ghetto must pick which college to attend. many people have a stake in this selection, including convict dad.

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 1999)

I loved Denzel's performance. It's the most believable I've seen in years---perhaps since Glory. The sex didn't bug me as much as it seems to bother the other comment writers. It's depressing to me that high school kids have sex, for some reason. I was impressed by what felt like an unusual level of honesty in the movie, from the character Lala and Denzel, between Jesus and his mother and with his sister, especially. It felt real and raw, protective and warped. The creepiness of the cops felt truly icky. And the uncle was terrifically scummy as well. One felt the despair of Jesus as he seemed to be the only one in a sea of so-called grownups who seemed to have a grasp on the ethical aspects of this "options." And I got into the intensity of self-revelation. Spike shows how we incarcerate ourselves with our self-centered aspirations that reverberate through the generations. It was great to see Zelda as Jesus's sister. She's so talented: girl power