White Men Can’t Jump

Director: Ron Shelton (1992)

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez

This movie came out at a perilous time in America. The Rodney King verdict and ensuing riots were about to engulf southern California and America. The film was released in March, 1992. The verdict and riots began in Los Angeles one month later. Director Ron Shelton poked fun at the urban hoops culture, but this movie truly has had a long afterlife.

Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson star together For the fourth time in a feature film which includes “Wild Cats”, “Money Train “and “Play It to the Bone”. In this film Sidney Deane, a black weekend basketball hustler who partners up Billy Hoyle, a white southerner, to make enough money to help Sidney’s girlfriend, Gloria a chance to make real good money as a contestant on the popular show, Jeopardy. Gloria thrives on the show and makes Dean’s life easier. Like he did in the first smash, “Bull Durham,”, Ron Shelton mixes the actors and athletes together and finds a rhythm and style that relate to and refreshing all these years. later.

Fun Fact:

In 1995, Atari published a game loosely based on the movie featuring awful arcade-style gameplay, which has since been dubbed one of the worst games ever.