Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a loop? That’s how I felt after watching Calmatic’s latest film, White Men Can’t Jump 2023, written by Kenya Barris and Doug Hall. I couldn’t help but wonder, why another film about interracial relations and basketball? And why a remake of the 1992 classic? Don’t get me wrong, the original had so much going for it, but does this updated version have what it takes to make its mark on pop culture? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The film stars Sinqua Walls, Jack Harlow, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Harrier, and the late Lance Reddick.
The movie starts in 2010, where a young Kamal Allen (Walls) is a high school basketball phenom and the country’s top prospect. His father, Benji Allen (Reddick), manages his career, and the two have a great relationship. Fast forward ten years, and we find Kamal in his old high school gymnasium playing a pick-up game with friends. They mention a two-on-two tournament with a $500K cash prize, but Kamal declines to join. That’s when the obnoxious Jeremy (Harlow) enters the gym and challenges Kamal to a free-throw contest. After losing, Kamal finds himself wondering how to reconnect with Jeremy after finding the water bottle he left behind.
The audience learns more about Kamal and Jeremy and realizes their lives couldn’t be more different. Kamal is a high school basketball star who lives with his wife, Imani (Taylor), and young son. Meanwhile, Jeremy is a health and wellness coach peddling his fake detox elixir to random gym members to make money while living with his girlfriend, Tatiana (Harrier). When Kamal’s hours get cut at work, he needs a way to make fast cash and wants to enter the tournament. However, everyone he knows already has a partner and signed up. That’s when he reaches out to Jeremy, and they agree to team up and split the money that’ll help ease their financial woes. But can they get along long enough to win anything?
The original White Men Can’t Jump used basketball as a device that was part of a larger narrative. It was a confidence movie, not just a get-rich-quick scheme like it is for Kamal and Jeremy, who are portrayed as the saddest men alive. The film relies on using rappers, influencers, and famed producers (like NBA star Blake Griffin) to add weight to this hollow shell of a movie. The script tries to be quirky with subtle racism and microaggressive gags that are never utilized in interesting ways. Like, what are we doing here?
I first noticed Walls in the Starz TV series Power, and then as Sir Lancelot in Once Upon a Time. He is one of the few good elements this film has going for itself. His performance is strong, but even he can’t save it because the material he’s working with is bland as heck. Then you have Jack Harlow acting as Jack Harlow. Was he encouraged at all to try something different? At a minimum, the movie is nice to look at, thanks to the soulful cinematography of Tommy Maddox-Upshaw. It’s a shame such high-class camera work is squandered on vapid drivel like this.
These remakes are supposed to be for Gen Z or whatever, but at a certain point, even they will be unable to tolerate such empty works that waste the talents of Taylor and the late, great Reddick. So far, these remakes have an abysmal track record. First House Party (released earlier this year) was a dud, and now this? When are these films going to get better?!
Title: White Men Can’t Jump (2023)
Release date: May 18, 2023
Distributor: Hulu
Director: Calmatic
Screenwriters: Kenya Barris, Doug Hall, Ron Shelton
Cast: Sinqua Walls, Jack Harlow, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Harrier, Lance Reddick
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hr 41 min
