White Men Can't Jump

1992
Director: Ron Shelton
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and Rosie Perez

Plot: Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances.

It's Hard to Dunk When You're 5'10'' like Woody (and Wesley?)
by C. True

Woody Harrelson plays the doofy white chump (who played a little college ball) come to hustle black street basketball players in early 90’s LA. The basketball games are well filmed and play out as tense and serious games that are given enough screen time to make them exciting without making this a sport-driven movie. It’s also partly about the generic comedy of a doofy white chump teamed up with a fast-talking black man, but it’s really a little sweeter and less stereotypical than that may sound. The real selling point of the movie is the originality of the story line that bounces to unlikely places. Instead of one long con movie, the hustler movie allows for several cons and in this movie they avoid repetition as the viewer and main characters are often surprised by who is and who isn’t in on the con. On top of these there is a mobster/money conflict and a sweet and funny aside when Woody’s girlfriend, played by Rosie Perez, lives her dream by appearing on Jeopardy. Overall the movie works because it finds a nicer balance between well-written characters, plot, and comedy than most. And perhaps most impressive is that this movie really never strays into cheese. There’s nothing I hate more than the cheap ending of girl and boy getting back together for no better reason than two hours are over, and this movie decidedly misses clichés of this sort and comes off as a little more watchable.

And I feel like I shouldn't, but I just love Rosie Perez and she's great in this movie. It's not just that she's sassy, it's that she does sass better than anyone.