6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, Rosie Pérez, Kadeem Hardison, Tyra FerrellSport | 100% |
Comedy | 64% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
“White Men Can’t Jump” is a lively movie, almost to a fault. Blessed with a provocative title, perfect theatrical release timing, and a commitment to the mischief of men conducting business on street basketball courts, the feature made a sizable impression when it was released in 1992, pulling in unexpectedly hearty box office returns while hinting at a bright screen future for the pairing of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. Audiences responded to the material’s slack broheim attitude and attention to sporting detail, while its improvisational loquaciousness caught many off-guard, generating a rowdy atmosphere of put-downs and double-crosses, soaked in a distinctly urban Los Angeles atmosphere of desperation. Twenty years later, it’s a little easier to isolate why “White Men Can’t Jump” moves from a bubbling diversion to a taxing sit, identifying writer/director Ron Shelton as a helmer unable to control his own creation, using snappy basketball sequences to tenderize an otherwise chewy comedy populated with unpleasant characters and extended dialogue exchanges that keep the effort dizzy with unfocused verbal energy, punctuated with a bizarrely misguided summation.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation isn't quite as robust as hoped for, but still makes a fine impression in HD, boasting stable, rich colors that pop beautifully off funky '90's costuming and L.A. graffiti, while neighborhood character is also nicely represented with interesting, secure hues. A thin layer of grain remains to provide a cinematic feel, while the viewing experience moves from soft to crisp without much logic, though it's not overwhelmingly distracting. Fine detail is adequate, permitting inspection of facial reactions and locations, while fabrics also offer compelling textures. Skintones retain their natural appearance, with a handful of overly red moments breaking up consistency. Shadow detail is satisfactory with a few sludgy evening shots. However, most of the effort is captured in the brightness of day, keeping distances and hairstyles illuminated in full.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix has it a little easier than most Blu-rays, boasting a bouncy soundtrack of hip-hop and R&B cuts intended to bring a little L.A. street flavor to the proceedings. The music sounds full and crisp, moving along with a healthy low-end to hammer home the heavier beats. Instrumentation is serviceable, capably guiding the energy of the images. Dialogue exchanges, which arrive at light speed on occasion, are easily followed and secure, with subtle performance choices communicated without distortion. The group dynamic is also managed well, keeping disparate and argumentative voices arranged without clutter. Surrounds are limited to music selections, which reach around without much prominence, while light atmospherics perk up sporadically. Immersive this mix is most certainly not, but the general air of sporting strain and oral confrontation is sustained to satisfaction, eased along by the excitable soundtrack.
Two hours is a long time to spend with these borderline contemptuous characters, especially when the final act basically turns Billy in a bumbling villain while Sidney is heralded as some type of all-knowing saint, despite the pair's shared fascination with destructive irresponsibility. "White Men Can't Jump" is filled with these little inconsistencies, which add up to a disjointed, sporadically engaging picture that's more confident palming a basketball than it is dealing honestly with the emotional void of its participants. Shelton aims for a jovial ride of impish behavior, yet "White Men Can't Jump" doesn't sustain the good times for very long, with its opening tonal sprint reduced to a painful limp by the time the end credits arrive.
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