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Movies / On DVD / He Got Game
He Got Game

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He Got Game (1998)

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Reviews Counted:60

Fresh:48

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: Though not without its flaws, He Got Game finds Spike Lee at or near the top of his late-period game, combining trenchant commentary with his signature visuals and a strong performance from Denzel Washington.

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Rated: R [See Full Rating] language and some sexual situations

Runtime: 2 hr. 14 min.

Genre: Drama

Theatrical Release: May 1, 1998 Wide

Synopsis: As a filmmaker and passionate fan of basketball, Spike Lee was the perfect director for this ambitious and heartfelt sports drama, which brought out... As a filmmaker and passionate fan of basketball, Spike Lee was the perfect director for this ambitious and heartfelt sports drama, which brought out the best in both Lee and his well-chosen cast. In his third film for Lee, Denzel Washington plays Jake Shuttlesworth, who is in prison for the manslaughter of his wife. His estranged son Jesus (well played by Milwaukee Bucks basketball player Ray Allen) is the nation's best high school basketball star, and Jake receives a compelling offer from the state's governor: If Jake can convince Jesus to sign a letter of intent to attend Big State University, the governor will reduce his sentence. Lee turns this back-room bargain into a fascinating examination of capitalism in college and professional sports, but the film also works as the moving story of a father's desperate attempt to regain his son's respect. Lee handles the basketball angle with an insider's awareness, and takes a few stylistic risks (including a memorable final image) that pay off with considerable emotional effect. He Got Game fully explores the visual poetry of basketball and the greed that fuels this particular vision of the American dream, but Lee never loses sight of the sport's inherent beauty, or the higher priorities of redemption and family that form the solid foundation of this exceptional film. --Jeff Shannon [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson

Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper, Zelda Harris, Jim Brown, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Ned Beatty, Bill Nunn, Michele Shay, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Lonette McKee, John Turturro, Roger Guenveur Smith, Jennifer Esposito, Kim Director

Director: Spike Lee

Director: Spike Lee
Screenwriter: Spike Lee
Producer:
Distributor: Buena Vista Internationa

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REVIEWS FOR HE GOT GAME

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Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A long, boring, meandering, dog of a movie.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
Jan 7, 2009
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Lee's attack on how big business is not only ruining the game he loves but also playing with people's lives is direct and brave, while his passion, insight and intelligence are evident and admirable.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2008
Film4

Lacking the moral indignation and militant politics of Lee's former work, this vibrantly colorful father-son melodrama is soft at the center, but it's one of the most accessible films Lee has made and Denzel Washington is terrific.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2008
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

At the end of Mr. Lee's movie, all you feel is the distraction of Mr. Lee's stylistic exhibitionism, without which, I concede, he might not be regarded as a genius in some quarters.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
Apr 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[Lee] gets a charming performance from Allen, who, in his acting debut, occupies his pedestal with grace and diffidence.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2007
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Though too long by a good half hour, Lee's latest film packs a genuine emotional punch.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2007
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

As usual, Lee tries many kinds of stylistic effects and uses wall-to-wall music (by Aaron Copland and Public Enemy); what’s different this time is how personally driven the story feels.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Most scenes play too long, with a surplus of ideas, textures, tones and characters, and after 134 minutes it's clear Lee's problem with closure hasn't gone away.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
Feb 9, 2006
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

Lee paints intimate characters who are about more than the game. Themes of integrity, honesty, loyalty and familial love are woven through the film resulting in a complex, thought-provoking human drama.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
Apr 9, 2005
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Shrewdly exposes the underbelly of college recruiting and the pressures exerted on talented high school basketball stars.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
Jun 28, 2004
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Flawed but powerful.

Full Review | comment Comment
Jun 7, 2004
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

It is a wonderful thing to watch two artists work so well together. I am speaking, in this case, of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
Feb 8, 2003
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

The hypocritical misogyny of He Got Game is a fundamental weakness that reviewers so far have been happy to downplay or even to dismiss.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
Jan 10, 2003
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Lee should have drawn up a tighter game plan but just the same his hoops hoopla still has enough game (mostly in the form of Washington) to win over the audience.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
Dec 8, 2002
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Film Threat

As brilliant and perplexing as the filmmaker himself.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
Oct 15, 2002
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Only a director as good as Spike Lee could make a coherent movie out of this messy, jejune set-up ...

Full Review | comment Comment
Jul 31, 2002
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Washington's Jake Shuttlesworth looks tough and hard, an odd but refreshing turn for an actor long associated with handsomely heroic roles.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
Jun 18, 2002
Peter Stack
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

As much a technical achievement as a narrative one.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
Jun 5, 2002
Wade Major
Wade Major
Boxoffice Magazine

A two-hour air ball.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
Apr 12, 2002
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic
 
 
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LATEST NEWS FOR HE GOT GAME

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April 5, 2005: Spike & Denzel to Team Up for a Fourth Flick
Blackfilm.com snagged an interesting quote from controversial filmmaker Spike Lee. The director was attending an after-party for Denzel Washington's Broadway opening of "Julius Caesar," and... More...

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