WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP
Starring: Jack Harlow, Sinqua Walls, Teyana Taylor, Laura Harrier, Lance Reddick, Vince Staples, and Myles Bullock
Director: Calmatic
AMARÚ
There are two seconds in White Men Can’t Jump where I thought Jack Harlow had some charm. The hope those moments provided didn’t last long. This unnecessary remake is jankily edited, poorly written, and hastily paced. Nothing on screen feels natural, especially the attempts to recapture the original’s poignant race-heavy dialogue. Harlow and Sinqua Walls have a bit of chemistry, but when on screen next to comedic standouts Myles Bullock and Vince Staples, you realize how not up to par this film is to the original. When the comedic relief is better than the main characters, it’s a pretty bad look.
QUENTIN
Not that it needs to be said, but White Men Can’t Jump didn’t need a remake, and it certainly didn’t deserve one this lazy. The contentious camaraderie between Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls pales in comparison to what Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson had, and all the racial commentary of the original has been reduced to a slew of “white people be like…, black people be like…” jokes. There also is a completely needless subplot with one character’s father (though it was nice to see Lance Reddick one last time), while the basketball scenes aren’t all that fun or exciting. Overall, this is a total brick.
