Unexpectedly, 2023's 'White Men Can’t Jump' is great!
I was anticipating, at best, a run-of-the-mill remake of the fun original movie from 1992, as most redos tend to be let's be honest. However, everyone involved here does a noteworthy job. I thoroughly enjoyed this, it's predominantly funny but there is heart in there too. To be honest, I'd totally rank it higher than its predecessor.
In that 90s picture, which again is an entertaining movie don't get me wrong, it's all solid but Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson do elevate it up a lot. Whereas in this version, sure the leads aren't as strong (but still excellent in their own rights) though the film is much more well rounded and interesting in other areas in my opinion.
They may be no Snipes x Harrelson, but Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow are an ace match. This is the first time I've seen Walls act and I've very impressed, particularly in that emotional scene with the late Lance Reddick. Harlow appears in his acting debut and is surprisingly good, some bits you can tell he isn't a full-time actor though for the majority he is convincing.
Teyana Taylor, Laura Harrier, Myles Bullock and Vince Staples are positive members of the cast too, the latter two make for amusing comedic support. Elsewhere, it was fun to see Gerald Johnson appear; albeit minutely... Lamar 🐐 . It's a nicely cast flick, to be fair.
I wasn't expecting the comedy to be as funny as it was, I'm not saying I was on the floor laughing at any point but I was smiling/chuckling pretty constantly throughout. As you'd expect, it does rely a lot on the race jokes but it's all executed well. There's good music selection too.
