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Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper ... see more see more... , Zelda Harris , Jim Brown , Joseph Lyle Taylor , Ned Beatty , Bill Nunn , Michele Shay , Thomas Jefferson Byrd , Lonette McKee , John Turturro , Roger Guenveur Smith , Jennifer Esposito , Kim Director

Denzel Washington and writer-director Spike Lee team for the third time with this contemporary basketball drama focusing on a promising athlete, the son of a convict-father. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel... read more read more... Washington) has been in prison for six years when tough prison-warden Wyatt (Ned Beatty) tells him that he's getting a temporary parole with the promise of a commuted sentence. However, there's a trade-off -- Jake must talk his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth (NBA star Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks), the top-ranked high-school basketball player in the country, into signing with the governor's alma mater, Big State. A flashback makes it clear that Jesus' mother (Lonette McKee was accidentally killed by Jake during a violent family fight. After Jake went to prison, the resentful Jesus was left alone to raise his sister Mary (Zelda Harris). Now several colleges are offering Jesus scholarships, and montages satirize the manner in which young athletes are wooed by educators and coaches across the country. However, Jake will soon be back behind bars if he can't get Jesus to sign with Big State within the week. Meanwhile, the greed of other family members begins to surface. John Turturro is seen in a cameo as Coach Billy Sunday, and several real-life coaches can also be spotted in this movie. Music by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) with songs by Public Enemy. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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80% liked it

42,217 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

61 critics

R, 2 hr. 14 min.

Directed by: Spike Lee

Release Date: May 1, 1998

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DVD Release Date: January 15, 2002

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Stats: 1,755 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,755)

  • fb1664868775
    October 30, 2011
    fb1664868775
    Great visuals and performances though it falls short in the end, still a worthwhile minor work from Spike Lee.
  • MovieGeek13
    January 12, 2011
    MovieGeek13
    Spike Lee is one of the very few filmmakers possessing the heart and soul of an auteur, but none of the self righteousness. He Got Game is a perfect example of the directors sensibilities. Most basketball movies tell coming of age stories against gritty backdrops that all lead ... read moreup to some big game. Lee's film is practically void of all such cliches. The central narrative does build around a father trying to reconnect with his son, but the narrative progresses in ways that most screenwriters or directors would be afraid to allow.
    The movie explores how everyone - agents, politicians, legal guardians, even girlfriends - scrambles to get a piece of the possible glory and money behind a rising high school basketball star. But it also maintains a central focus on the basketball star and how close he is to reaching his dreams. This allows for an interesting mix in tones, where the character's field of dreams mixes with the harsh reality of the sport as a commercial entity, filled with people who's only goal, like in all business, is to make money.
    At the heart of it all is Denzel Washington, a convicted murderer who happens to be this young star's father. He is let out on temporary parole to try and get his son to sign with a particular university basketball team. If he does, he might be released permanently. Regardless of the outcome, this allows the father to find some redemption in helping his son figure out his life. The end is anti-climactic, but beautifully executed, displaying Spike Lee at his artistic best.
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    I must say that Spike Lee did a great job in making this movie. Jake (Denzel Washington) plays a prisoner who is in jail for murdering his wife years ago. He is given a chance to get out of prison if he does one thing. He has to convince his son, Jesus (Ray Allen) to attend a cer... read moretain college. If he does that, Jake is a free man. Of course, it won't be easy because Jesus has to first forgive his dad for what he did to his mom before he can even think of going to a certain university in his dad's favor.
    Denzel Washington and Ray Allen both put on great performances to make this a great movie. The basketball sequences in the movie are exciting, but the drama in "He Got Game" is what makes the movie work so well. I recommend anybody to get "He Got Game." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I'm not as big on the movie now, but still good.
  • tsigur
    December 10, 2007
    tsigur
    I love basketball and I think you all know how I feel about Denzel.
  • EightThirty
    August 28, 2007
    EightThirty
    Cool Drama ^_^
  • deano
    August 20, 2007
    deano
    This Spike Lee's drama is very good interesting about ethnic pride, urban survival, and the corruption of American sports.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 20, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    pretty good but a little graphic for a sports movie about a high school kid
  • allan913
    December 11, 2006
    allan913
    A totally engagining and effective film. an awsome movie. Denzel Washington is brillant. Another remarkable performance. This film packs on power, intensity, passion and excellence.
  • suneelj93
    November 30, 2011
    suneelj93
    A film that will satisfy any true basketball fan. Seeing Ray Allen star next to Denzel Washington is surreal at first, but they seem to have good chemistry. Denzel puts on one of his more strong performances as Jake Shuttlesworth and Ray Allen does a decent job for being an ama... read moreteur actor. The film is quite emotional and Spike Lee delivers well in the way the story is told. It shows some of the darker sides of how the NCAA operates and the prison system as well. A good film that is a nice change of pace from ordinary sports stories.
  • lesleyanorton
    January 8, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    Jesus Shuttleworth, basketball talent, is trying to decide which college to go to, and everyone but everyone has a hidden agenda to help him choose, including his father, out of jail for a week in order to get him to sign for the state governors pet university.
    I really liked... read more this film, the pace was good, and the balance was good and the complications of the relationship between Jesus and his father, Denzel Washington seemed real and didn't get brushed over by an quick-fix happy ending.
    Good soundtrack by Aaron Copeland and Public Enemy too (strange combination that strangely works).

View All He Got Game Reviews

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
March 25, 2008
Emanuel Levy, Variety

Lacking the moral indignation and militant politics of Lee's former work, this vibrantly colorful father-son melodrama is soft at the center, but it's one of the most accessible films Lee has made and... Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

At the end of Mr. Lee's movie, all you feel is the distraction of Mr. Lee's stylistic exhibitionism, without which, I concede, he might not be regarded as a genius in some quarters. Full Review

David Edelstein
March 25, 2007
David Edelstein, Slate

[Lee] gets a charming performance from Allen, who, in his acting debut, occupies his pedestal with grace and diffidence. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 25, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

As usual, Lee tries many kinds of stylistic effects and uses wall-to-wall music (by Aaron Copland and Public Enemy); what's different this time is how personally driven the story feels. Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

Washington's Jake Shuttlesworth looks tough and hard, an odd but refreshing turn for an actor long associated with handsomely heroic roles. Full Review

Rick Groen
April 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A two-hour air ball. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Washington is so consistently effective an actor that it hardly needs be said that his excellent performance as the beleaguered Jake carries the film. Full Review

David Denby
January 1, 2000
David Denby, New York Magazine

The movie is a volatile combination of ambitious mythmaking and nasty reality, and like most of Spike Lee's work, it is also an inextricable combination of good and bad. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

an effective companion piece to Hoop Dreams and Blue Chips. Full Review

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

Milwaukee Bucks guard Ray Allen delivers nothing less than the best performance ever put on film by a pro athlete.

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He Got Game Trivia

  • WHo star's as the father of phenom basketball player in the movie "He got game"?  Answer »
  • What NBA All-Star is a main character in the movie 'He Got Game'?  Answer »
  • Walter Ray Allen "Jesus Shuttlesworth" from Spike Lee's "He Got Game" was a professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks.  Answer »
  • In He got Game who plays jesus?  Answer »
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