White Men Can't Jump
review by Justin Meyers
Rated R
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie
Perez
Studio: Fox
Written and Directed by Ron Shelton
Retail Price: 29.98
Features: Theatrical Trailers, Re-edited with deleted
scenes, Music Video, TV Spot
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, 5.1 Dolby
Digital English, French Dolby Surround, English Captions,
Spanish Captions, Chapter Search
Bill Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) and Sidney Deane (Wesley
Snipes) are an unlikely pair of basketball hustlers. They
team up to con their way across the courts of Los Angeles,
playing a game that's fast, dangerous - and funny. Directed
and written by Ron Shelton (Bull Durham), and co-starring
the sizzling Rosie Perez, White Men Can't Jump is a
slam-dunk, high-flying comedy hit! (Editor's
Note: Guess this one is also right off the box.)
White Men Can't Jump was looked upon as a bad movie, and
I can't see why critics bashed it when it first came out in
1992. I guess they thought it was too dramatic and less
about the sports aspect, but that's what I enjoy. I wouldn't
like to see two hustlers playing basketball for 2 whole
hours. I like the character aspect and how they made Wesley
Snipe's character poor and untrustworthy and Woody
Harrelson's character bad with money and women. It was
perfect how those two characters played off of each other.
Snipes and Harrelson really make a great team. We see that
again in Money Train, while not as good as this movie, it's
pretty entertaining. I am a fan of both actors so when they
star together it is always entertaining. This being their
first I was happy when it was released on DVD.
There are some scenes here that in my opinion are the
best scenes of basketball ever on a movie to date. The stars
really know what they're doing and look like they're having
fun doing it. With not very many stunt doubles I imagine
they practiced night and day. This is a realistic portrayal
of street basketball with many funny situations along the
way. This film has really filthy language at times. It is
absolutely not a family movie but that's part of its charm.
White Men Can't Jump is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer. It is perfect! This is a colorful movie
and on the DVD it really shows. It replicates the hues very
well with no sign of smear or grain. The flesh tones look
good and natural. The detail is great; it has nice contrast
and brightness. A real example of the brightness is in all
of the basketball games, as the sun glares off the players
with their colorful uniforms. It's very nice and bright. The
transfer has no sign of compression errors. I noticed the
layer change but that was all. This is one really great
video. This is the best I've ever seen this film.
This is a real great audio presentation. While not 5.1,
it is Dolby Surround 2.0 and kicks in very well. When the
basketball games are present the surround is nice. It gives
very good detail in the back and side speakers. You can
actually feel it around you. The really great part about
this mix is the dialogue, which comes across great with
clarity. I think this is an impressive mix and provides a
great audio experience.
It says on the back of the DVD that the film was
re-edited with deleted scenes. I don't remember which scenes
weren't in to begin with. All scenes really fit together
well so I wouldn't know why they were deleted. In any case
they are here and I figure it is an extra.
There is a "White Men Can't Jump" music video by rapper
Riff. It is a pretty good video and song. I'm white so maybe
I just listen to it, not actually hear it. In any case it is
a good video with great audio.
There are two theatrical trailers and one TV spot to
finish up the extra section. I must mention that I really
love the menus. They feature the title with a basketball
game in the background, which is real eye candy. As you
switch menus a basketball rolls across your screen. Fox
really comes through on the menu department.
I would have liked to see more extras, like some behind
the scene features but I'm glad we get something. While not
a special edition this is one nice disc!
White Men Can't Jump is my favorite sports comedy. It was
directed by Ron Shelton, who also wrote and directed Bull
Durham, Tin Cup, and Play it to the Bone. I really like how
he incorporates sports with humorous moments and really
character driven stories. He has a knack for directing these
types of movies and I hope he keeps it up. I really enjoy
them.
OK, I admit it! Being a white man, I know white men can't
jump. This hasn't stopped me though. I still love basketball
and watch it religiously. This DVD is great to own for the
basketball fans out there and I really stress that you
should pick it up. I loved this movie since it came out and
will enjoy it for as long as I can. This DVD is the best way
to see it. Have fun!
 (4.5/5, NOT included in
final score)
(4.5/5)
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 (2/5)
 (3/5,
NOT an average)
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