He Got Game is a
1998 sports-
drama film written and directed by
Spike Lee, and starring
Denzel Washington and current
Boston Celtics guard
Ray Allen as a father and son trying to reconcile on the eve of the signing day for his son, the #1 prep player from
Abraham Lincoln High School in
Brooklyn,
New York, and under pressure to decide which
college basketball scholarship offer he will accept. The film features cameos by several well-known basketball players, coaches, and announcers.
Plot summary
Jesus Shuttlesworth (
Ray Allen) is an extremely talented
basketball player being pursued by the top college programs in the nation. Washington's character is a convicted felon serving time at
Attica State Prison for accidentally killing his wife (Jesus's mother) by pushing her while arguing with Jesus at the age of 12. The father is temporarily released by the governor, an influential alum of one of the colleges Jesus is considering, so that he might direct his son to sign with the governor's college.
Box office
He Got Game was produced on an estimated $25,000,000 budget. In the opening weekend of its release, it was shown on 1,319 screens, and took in $7,610,663 at the U.S. box offices debuting at number 1. It eventually grossed a total of $21,554,585.
Critical response
Time Out London, in a negative review, summed up with, "Most scenes play too long, with a surplus of ideas, textures, tones and characters, and after 134 minutes it's clear Lee's problem with closure hasn't gone away."
Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half-stars, and called it Lee's best film since
Malcolm X. He was particularly encouraged by Lee's determination not to adhere to typical conventions.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for
He Got Game was composed of numerous orchestral pieces by
Aaron Copland with songs created by the political rap group
Public Enemy. It was released by
Def Jam on
April 21,
1998.
Awards and nominations
1999 Acapulco Black Film Festival- Best Actor — Denzel Washington (nominated)
- Best Director — Spike Lee (nominated)
- Best Screenplay — Spike Lee (nominated)
- Best Soundtrack (nominated)
1999 NAACP Image Awards- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture — Denzel Washington (nominated)
- Outstanding Motion Picture (nominated)
1999 MTV Movie Awards- MTV Movie Award Best Breakthrough Male Performance — Ray Allen (nominated)
