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White Men Can't Jump (2023 film)

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White Men Can't Jump
Promotional release poster
Directed byCalmatic
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onWhite Men Can't Jump
by Ron Shelton
Produced by
  • Kenya Barris
  • Paul Hall
Starring
CinematographyTommy Maddox-Upshaw
Edited byJonathan Schwartz
Music byMarcelo Zarvos
Production
companies
Distributed byHulu
Release date
  • May 19, 2023 (2023-5-19)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

White Men Can't Jump is a 2023 American sports comedy film directed by Calmatic, and written by Kenya Barris and Doug Hall from a story they co-wrote with Ron Shelton.[1] It is a remake of the 1992 film. It stars Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow, in his acting debut, in the lead roles, alongside Teyana Taylor, Laura Harrier, Vince Staples, Myles Bullock, and Lance Reddick. White Men Can't Jump was released by Hulu on May 19, 2023.

Premise

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In this modern remix of the iconic film, seemingly opposite street hoopers, Jeremy, an injury prone former star, and Kamal, a has-been prodigy, team up to take one final shot at living out their dreams.[2]

— Hulu

Cast

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Additionally, Stan Verrett, Blake Griffin, Taylor Rooks, Duke Skywalka and Tyler Herro play themselves.[3]

Production

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In January 2017, Kenya Barris was reported to be developing a White Men Can't Jump remake produced by NBA star Blake Griffin and NFL player Ryan Kalil.[4] In November 2021, Calmatic was revealed to be the director.[5] In March 2022, rapper and actor Jack Harlow was cast in the film, in the role originally played by Woody Harrelson.[6] In April 2022, Sinqua Walls was cast as Kamal Allen, the equivalent of Wesley Snipes' character in the original 1992 film.[7] Other characters include Jermaine, who often antagonizes Kamal; Bobby, Kamal's boss; and an opposing fan who trash-talks Kamal.[8] Barris produced the film under his Khalabo Ink Society banner alongside Hall, and Kalil, Griffin, and Noah Weinstein executive produce under their Mortal Media banner.[7] On May 5, 2022, Lance Reddick, Teyana Taylor, and Laura Harrier were cast in the film.[9] Additional castings included Tamera "Tee" Kissen, Myles Bullock, Vince Staples, and Zak Steiner.[10]

Filming began on May 11, 2022, in Los Angeles, with Tommy Maddox-Upshaw as the cinematographer.[11] It wrapped up by July 2022.[10] The film was scored by Marcelo Zarvos and will feature a soundtrack by DJ Drama.[12][13] By January 11, 2023, the film was in post-production.[14]

Release

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White Men Can't Jump was released on May 19, 2023, on Hulu.[15] Internationnally, the film was released on Disney+.[16]

Reception

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Viewership

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Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, reported that White Men Can't Jump was the seventh most-streamed program from May 17—23, 2023.[17] Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, calculated that White Men Can't Jump was the fifth most-streamed film in the U.S. during the week of May 21, 2023.[18] It later moved to ninth place during the week of May 28, 2023.[19]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 26% of 88 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Never mind being able to get air - the White Men Can't Jump remake struggles to come up with reasons for its own existence."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 40 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21]

Wendy Ide of The Observer gave White Men Can't Jump three out of five stars, saying that the film is a slick and unchallenging remake that is enjoyable but raises the question of the need for a remake of the 1992 original. She mentioned that Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow performed adequately in the roles originally played by Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Ide noted that Calmatic brought a flashy energy to the film but felt the story lacked depth. She found the film to be a safer and more generic sports movie, with the original's rough edges smoothed out.[22]

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com gave White Men Can't Jump one out of four stars, stating the movie is undermined by what he described as the director's "noxious audacity," which transforms a classic into a "rote joke." He questioned the necessity of the remake, finding the film unimaginative, corny, and unfulfilling. Daniels compared it unfavorably to the original, noting that the sharp critique of stereotypes in the 1992 film was lost in this version, which he found to be more focused on rehashing outdated elements. He criticized Jack Harlow's performance, calling it monotone and lacking conviction. Daniels also felt that the screenplay failed to capture the essence of the original, with poorly executed attempts to address socio-political themes. He noted that the film attempted to explore themes like Black masculinity and self-care but failed to develop its characters properly.[23]

Accolades

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Lance Reddick received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a TV Movie or Limited Series at the 2023 Black Reel Awards for Television.[24][25] White Men Can't Jump was nominated for Location Manager of the Year - Studio Feature Film and Location Team of the Year - Studio Feature Film at the 2022 California on Location Awards.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "White Men Can't Jump". Writers Guild of America West. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "White Men Can't Jump". Hulu. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. ^ "'The Outpost' Star Jessica Green Joins Ben Affleck's Nike Drama For Amazon; 'White Men Can't Jump' Adds 'Euphoria's Zak Steiner, Duke Skywalka". Deadline. July 18, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (January 17, 2017). "'Black-ish' Creator and Blake Griffin to Remake 'White Men Can't Jump'". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 30, 2021). "'White Men Can't Jump' Remake At 20th Century Sets Calmatic As Director". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 3, 2022). "Jack Harlow To Star in 20th Century's 'White Men Can't Jump' Reboot Off His First Ever Screen Audition". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 13, 2022). "'White Men Can't Jump': Sinqua Walls Joins 20th Century Studios Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Bolding, Hunter (April 12, 2022). "Sinqua Walls To Star Alongside Jack Harlow In White Men Can't Jump Reboot Plus New Characters [Exclusive]". That Hashtag Show. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 5, 2022). "20th Century Studios' 'White Men Can't Jump' Reboot Adds Lance Reddick, Teyana Taylor & Laura Harrier". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "'The Outpost' Star Jessica Green Joins Ben Affleck's Nike Drama For Amazon; White Men Can't Jump Adds 'Euphoria's' Zak Steiner". July 18, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "By CALMATIC on Instagram: "Back2Back"". Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. ^ "White Men Can't Jump (2023)". Soundtrack.net. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Marco Vito Oddo (September 29, 2022). "White Men Can't Jump Reboot Features a Soundtrack By DJ Drama". Collider. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Marco Vito Oddo (January 11, 2023). "White Men Can't Jump Remake Gets a 2023 Release Window [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  15. ^ J. Kim Murphy (February 5, 2023). "'White Men Can't Jump' Remake Debuts First Look With Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls Arguing Paul Thomas Anderson vs. Spike Lee". Variety. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Palmer, Roger (February 7, 2023). ""White Men Can't Jump" UK Disney+ Release Date Announced". Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  17. ^ Brace, Meredith (May 31, 2023). "Apple TV+'s 'Ted Lasso' to Hulu's 'White Men Can't Jump': Sports Score in Streaming | Charts". TheWrap. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  18. ^ Prange, Stephanie (May 24, 2023). "'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,' 'Ted Lasso' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  19. ^ Prange, Stephanie (May 31, 2023). "'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,' 'Ted Lasso' Again Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  20. ^ "White Men Can't Jump". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "White Men Can't Jump". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  22. ^ Ide, Wendy (May 21, 2023). "White Men Can't Jump review – generic remake of the hit 90s comedy". The Observer. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Daniels, Robert (May 19, 2023). "White Men Can't Jump". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "2023 Black Reel TV Award Nominees". Black Reel Awards. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  25. ^ Complex, Valerie (June 15, 2023). "Black Reel 7th Annual Television Awards Featuring Gender Neutral Categories Announces Nominations; 'The Best Man: Final Chapters' Leads With 18 Noms". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  26. ^ "Finalists Announced for 2022 California on Location Awards". PR Newswire. November 21, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
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