"He Got Game," a SPIKE LEE film starring DENZEL
WASHINGTON and Bucks G RAY ALLEN, opens nationwide in
theaters today. The Touchstone Pictures presentation tells
the story of Jesus Shuttlesworth (Allen), a talented high
school basketball player from Coney Island who must choose
from the various colleges recruiting him. The decision is
complicated by the release of his father Jake (Washington)
from prison after serving a six-year term for murdering his
wife, Jesus' mother, and the pressures of friends, coaches,
agents and groupies who want a piece of Jesus' success. The
film includes cameos by MICHAEL JORDAN, DEAN SMITH, CHARLES
BARKLEY and SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, among others (THE DAILY).
HE CAN ACT: In N.Y., Janet Maslin praises the film as
an "explosion of spectacular gambits and a great high-
concept hook." Allen gives a "likable, unaffected
performance that would be fine even if he weren't an NBA
star" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/1). NEWSWEEK's David Ansen calls the
film "a celebration of the game of basketball [and] an
expose of the game's corruption." Lee's script is "sharp on
the specifics of the sports world," and Allen is
"inexperienced but winning" (NEWSWEEK, 5/4). SI writes that
Allen gives a "measured performance" and "never seems out of
his league" in a film that "deftly portrays the exploitation
of and the pressure put on young potential millionaires"
(SI, 5/4 issue). VARIETY's Emanuel Levy writes the film is
a "tad too soft," but notes the "immensely engaging" Allen,
who gives an "utterly convincing performance that draws on
his youth and vulnerability" (VARIETY, 4/27). In Chicago,
Roger Ebert calls Allen a "rarity, an athlete who can act"
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/1). Also in Chicago, Michael
Wilmington: "Giving us much more than usual for a Hollywood
sports movie, Lee shows us the sordid underpinnings of
modern 'amateur' sports, while also conveying family
heartbreak and the sport's real savage beauty" (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 5/1). In Boston, Jay Carr writes that Lee has
"folded virtually the entire [NBA] into a fiercely loving
story about fathers and sons and family, with basketball as
the delivery system." It is one of Lee's "best" films and
Allen "does a miraculous job of blending rage and confusion"
(BOSTON GLOBE, 5/1). In DC, Stephen Hunter writes the film
is about "sports as workplace culture and vernacular of
physical expressiveness. It worships at the altar of the
game." He credits Allen's performance but calls the film a
"mild disappointment" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/1). On CBS "This
Morning," Gene Siskel said Allen "is very good in his acting
debut" (CBS, 5/1). In Minneapolis, Jeff Strickler writes
that Allen "handles the dramatic aspects of the role
surprisingly well." Lee "holds back nothing as he lambastes
the exploitation of young athletes" by the sports industry,
but he doesn't "blame the game for these problems"
(Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/1). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's
Michael Rechtshaffen writes Allen "shows sensitive focus
within a limited range" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/1).
ONE CON: In N.Y., Dave Kehr writes that Allen is "no
more than adequate" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/1).
PUPPY CHOW: Lee is profiled in the WASHINGTON POST and
says that the agent for KEVIN GARNETT and STEPHON MARBURY
asked that Lee guarantee one of the two the lead role or
neither would act in the film. Lee said neither player was
asked to audition: "There ain't no guaranteed contracts,
buddy. This is a film" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/1).
