Comments on: He Got Game (1998)

By: Ebonique

Ebonique — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:05:36 +0000

I think this film was a really good film about basketball. It not only showed basketball playing, but it also showed the stress that comes with it. People wanting money from you, people begging you for things. It didn’t show basketball players flying high in the air. It showed the real thing. It wasn’t plastic. It was the real McCoy.

By: Joe Valdez

Joe Valdez — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:27:39 +0000

Daniel: It’s rare you see either academics or geeks embracing anything involving Spike Lee – his movies have too many contradictions and not enough special effects for either crowd, I think – but He Got Game knocked me on my ass. As far as A Simple Plan, I did watch it, but won’t be writing anything about it for the foreseeable future. Too many movies, not enough time, I’m afraid.

Jorge: I have a feeling that more people are going to discover Spike Lee’s body of work in the next 20 years. After the TV interviews and antics at Madison Square Garden pass into memory, his work as a director will still be there. Lee has never made a perfect film – even Do The Right Thing has a flawed ending – but he has directed a movie a year since 1988 and does something powerful and exciting with the medium almost every time out. Thanks for commenting.

Jeremy: I believe this was Jovovich’s follow-up to The Fifth Element, when the film industry was alerted to the fact that this woman was something special. She really hasn’t shown the desire to live up to that potential as an actress, but her role here is noteworthy because she’s not toting a gun blasting away at zombies and what not.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:41:40 +0000

Hey Joe,
Believe it or not this is the only film with Milla Jovovich I have never seen. I like Spike Lee but I have just never gotten around to watching it…thanks for posting this helpful review.

By: sir jorge

sir jorge — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:40:51 +0000

This is one of my favorite films, and you really did a great job reviewing. This is a great one.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:19:20 +0000

Wow, was I pleased to see this here, Joe! I knew you’d give it a good treatment. Excellent choice, and one that I’ve considered highlighting in my own underrated pieces.

I was one of the few who saw it in the theater. It didn’t immediately strike me as being very good. I think I was impatient, or I just expected more “action” of some sort.

I like that you mention Training Day because people seem to forget how much of a jerk Denzel is in He Got Game. It’s certainly one of the most overlooked performances of his career.

The Public Enemy songs were fantastic. The title sequence you link to is pretty incredible, too.

Unrelated, but I’m curious about A Simple Plan – wasn’t that in your queue at some point? I don’t have a handle on your timing just yet, but I look forward to that one if it comes around at some point.