He Got Game (1998)

A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer:

Spike Lee

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Ray Allen

10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Jake Shuttlesworth
Ray Allen	...	Jesus Shuttlesworth
Milla Jovovich	...	Dakota Burns
Rosario Dawson	...	Lala Bonilla
Hill Harper	...	Coleman 'Booger' Sykes
Zelda Harris	...	Mary Shuttlesworth
Ned Beatty	...	Warden Wyatt
Jim Brown	...	Spivey
Joseph Lyle Taylor	...	Crudup
Bill Nunn	...	Uncle Bubba
Michele Shay	...	Aunt Sally
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Sweetness
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Big Time Willie
John Turturro	...	Coach Billy Sunday
Lonette McKee	...	Martha Shuttlesworth

Storyline

Tells the story of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the most sought after high school basketball prospect in the nation. Jesus and his dream to make it to the big ranks in professional basketball are overshadowed by his father, Jake, who is spending his life in prison for killing Jesus' mother.

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Plot Keywords:

basketball | prison | university | porn actor in mainstream movie | father son rivalry | 

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Taglines:

A father's freedom depends on his son's choice.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexuality, some drug content and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spike Lee's first film to open at number one at the U.S. box office.

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Goofs

At first while D'Andre is touching Lala's neck, he's not wearing any ring - next scene he's wearing a silver ring on his ring finger.

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Quotes

Jesus Shuttlesworth: Basketball is like poetry in motion, cross the guy to the left, take him back to the right, he's fallin' back, then just J right in his face. Then you look at him and say, "What?"

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Connections

Spoofed in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

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Soundtracks

Grandfather's Story
from The Red Pony (1949)
Performed by The Philharmonia Orchestra
Aaron Copland, Conductor
Written by Aaron Copland
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., Copyright Owner
Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Solo Publisher
Courtesy of Sony Classical

User Reviews

A dark and unsettling film about basketball

It finally happened, and the movie we all thought Spike Lee would make became reality. With Lee's own little foray into the basketball world, I always wondered when he would create a story which reflected his unique views of the game. While sometimes over sensationalized, he depicted a seedy world comprised of two-faced individuals all the way down to the seedy high school coach to the professional agent. I also felt it depicted some very frank images of the cultural aspects of athletics, the sex, the money and the little freebies. While the film didn't need the story between Denzel Washington and Milla Jovovich, it was strong in most aspects. It was a bit of a change of pace for Spike Lee, considering the graininess of the film stock and the rather mundane colors. Also, Ray Allen had one of the best pro athletes-turned-actor performances in a long time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

He Got Game

Filming Locations:

Charlotte Coliseum - 100 Paul Buck Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,610,663, 3 May 1998

Gross USA:

$21,567,853

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,567,853

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1