White Men Can't Jump

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the video game based on the movie, see White Men Can't Jump (video game).

White Men Can't Jump
The movie cover for White Men Can't Jump.
Directed by	Ron Shelton
Produced by	David V. Lester Don Miller
Written by	Ron Shelton
Starring	Wesley Snipes Woody Harrelson
Music by	Ron Shelton
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	March 27, 1992
Running time	115 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

White Men Can't Jump is a 1992 feature film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as basketball hustlers. Rosie Perez co-stars as Harrelson's girlfriend. The film was written and directed by Ron Shelton. It was released to theaters on March 27, 1992 by 20th Century Fox.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Woody Harrelson plays Billy Hoyle, a talented basketball player whose only source of income is to play on people's prejudices that White American people cannot play basketball very well. He uses his talent to earn money by hustling streetball players. The 'hustle' is even more provoking as Billy never plays badly to increase the money stakes, although he does act slightly more goofy than usual. Instead, the African-American basketball players in Venice Beach simply assume that as a 'white guy', Billy cannot play. The opening scene is set as Wesley Snipes' character, Sidney Deane loses a game to Billy in front of all of his friends on the playground in Venice Beach, CA.

Billy owes a large gambling debt, and he and his girlfriend are on the run from mobsters. Sidney wants to buy a house outside of the slums of Watts, CA for his family.

Both players earn significant income through street basketball and begin a partnership to earn money by using Billy's skin colour as a hustle tactic. In one game however, Sidney sets Billy up by deliberately playing badly alongside him and against a group of his friends, who take his $1700 and split it among them. Gloria is incensed when she hears the story from Billy, and insists that they go to Sidney's place. On the way, she tells Billy, "Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs."

Billy is totally confused by this statement. Once they arrive at Sidney's place, Gloria and Sidney's partner agree to split some of the money, and agree that Sidney and Billy will team up in a major 2 on 2 tournament.

Though initially disagreeing, Sidney and Billy play together, and with Billy's ability to trash out his opponents out of their mind set, are able to win the major prize of $5,000.

By this point Sidney has noticed Billy's tendency not to slam-dunk the ball. Billy says this is as he feels it is unnecessary showboating (also believing that African-Americans are more interested in looking good than winning), while Sidney holds the view expressed in the film's title. He also believes that white people only 'listen to' Jimi Hendrix but don't 'hear' him, also being surprised to learn that the other two members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience were white. Billy then blathers on and on about how he can dunk, but chooses not to. Sidney ignores him, and Billy gets more infuriated. He then says he is so sure that he can dunk, he'll bet his $2,500 on it. Sidney challenges Billy to dunk the ball at a local court, playing for their slice of the $5,000. In three attempts, Billy is unsuccessful (he can't grasp the ball well in one hand and therefore the ball slips) and loses the $2,500 he just won. When Billy tells this to Gloria, she leaves him.

Billy's girlfriend Gloria Clemente, played by Rosie Perez, has a dream of appearing on the quiz show Jeopardy!; she devotes nearly every waking moment to memorising obscure facts. Fortunately one of Sidney's friends works at the TV company which makes the show, and agreed to fix it that she gets on the show - as long as Billy can sink a half court hook shot, which he does. Gloria stumbles early with sports questions, notably naming Babe Ruth as the NBA's leading rebounder. However, she comes back with a pet topic, 'Foods beginning with the letter q' and easily wins $24,000 on her first episode.

Gloria and Billy get back together, however, it is Sidney's turn for misfortune as he is burgled and becomes more desperate for money. Billy was set to get a white collar job, and set up his life with Gloria. Despite Gloria warning Billy that if he gambles with her money, 'they are through', Billy sides with the debt he owes Sidney, and plays a final game against two hoops legends of the LA scene, The King and Duck Johnson. In a very tough game, Sidney and Billy prevail, with Sidney throwing an 'over his head' alley-oop to Billy, who dunks, for the winning basket.

Upon returning home he discovers that Gloria has remained true to her word, and left him. Initially confused, in that he had won the game and the money, and Gloria had left, whereas previously she had stayed when he lost, he begins to understand the meaning of her earlier statement:

"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs."

He had stayed loyal to his friend, and won the game and respect of the L.A. pick-up scene, but had lost the girl as a result. The mobsters who were after Billy finally track him down, and he pays his debts. In the end, Billy asks Sidney to set him up with a real job, and as the closing credit are about to roll, Billy starts arguing with Sidney over his dunk, and challenges him to a game of one on one.

[edit] Trivia

• Bob Lanier, the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks legend and Hall of Famer, was hired as a basketball coach for the movie. He was impressed with Harrelson and Snipes, suggesting that both reached college basketball skill level.
• The musical R&B quintet Riff made a song and accompanying music video called "White Men Can't Jump" for the movie. The music video featured Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes and Rosie Perez. It can be seen on the DVD release with bonus features.
• Duane Martin, who played Willie Lewis, and Freeman Williams, who played "Duck" Johnson, both had undistinguished NBA careers. Martin played briefly for the Knicks. Williams had an 8 year career where he played for the Clippers, Jazz, and Bullets from 1978-86. Duane Martin however received more prominence as an actor. He had a leading role in the movie Above the Rim alongside Tupac Shakur and he is also noteworthy for marrying the actress Tisha Campbell.
• When the movie starts, a rap/hip-hop version of the 20th Century Fox fanfare plays over the Fox logo.
• There is a video game based on the movie, for the Atari Jaguar console.
• Future NBA All Star Gary Payton made an uncredited appearance in the movie as an unidentified street baller. [1]

[edit] External link

• White Men Can't Jump at the Internet Movie Database