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He Got Game

He Got Game (1998)

tomatometer

80

Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 61
Fresh: 49 | Rotten: 12

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.

75

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Critic Reviews: 20
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 5

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.

audience

80

liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 43,025

My Rating

Movie Info

Denzel Washington and writer-director Spike Lee team for the third time with this contemporary basketball drama focusing on a promising athlete, the son of a convict-father. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) has been in prison for six years when tough prison-warden Wyatt (Ned Beatty) tells him that he's getting a temporary parole with the promise of a commuted sentence. However, there's a trade-off -- Jake must talk his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth (NBA star Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks),

R,

Drama

Spike Lee

Jan 15, 2002

Buena Vista Internationa

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All Critics (61) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (12) | DVD (2)

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.

March 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
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.

April 27, 2007 Full Review Source: New York Observer
New York Observer
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[Lee] gets a charming performance from Allen, who, in his acting debut, occupies his pedestal with grace and diffidence.

March 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Slate
Slate
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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.

March 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
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.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

January 7, 2009 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews
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.

March 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

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

March 25, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews
Reeling Reviews

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

June 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Flawed but powerful.

June 7, 2004 Full Review
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.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online
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.

January 10, 2003 Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks
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.

December 8, 2002 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

As brilliant and perplexing as the filmmaker himself.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Enquirer

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

July 31, 2002 Full Review
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

As much a technical achievement as a narrative one.

June 5, 2002 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine

Audience Reviews for He Got Game

Great visuals and performances though it falls short in the end, still a worthwhile minor work from Spike Lee.
October 30, 2011
Graham Jones

Super Reviewer

Spike Lee is one of the very few filmmakers possessing the heart and soul of an auteur, but none of the self righteousness. He Got Game is a perfect example of the directors sensibilities. Most basketball movies tell coming of age stories against gritty backdrops that all lead up to some big game. Lee's film is practically void of all such cliches. The central narrative does build around a father trying to reconnect with his son, but the narrative progresses in ways that most screenwriters or directors would be afraid to allow.
The movie explores how everyone - agents, politicians, legal guardians, even girlfriends - scrambles to get a piece of the possible glory and money behind a rising high school basketball star. But it also maintains a central focus on the basketball star and how close he is to reaching his dreams. This allows for an interesting mix in tones, where the character's field of dreams mixes with the harsh reality of the sport as a commercial entity, filled with people who's only goal, like in all business, is to make money.
At the heart of it all is Denzel Washington, a convicted murderer who happens to be this young star's father. He is let out on temporary parole to try and get his son to sign with a particular university basketball team. If he does, he might be released permanently. Regardless of the outcome, this allows the father to find some redemption in helping his son figure out his life. The end is anti-climactic, but beautifully executed, displaying Spike Lee at his artistic best.
January 12, 2011
MovieGeek13

Super Reviewer

    1. Jake Shuttlesworth: Even I can't save this movie from the awkward direction of poser Spike Lee.
    – Submitted by Jesse K (41 days ago)

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Latest News on He Got Game

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...

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