White Men Can't Jump (1992)
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Two streetball hustlers form an uneasy partnership to win a tournament and settle debts, only to find their alliance tested by betrayal and personal stakes.
The story
Billy Hoyle, a former college basketball player, makes a living hustling streetballers who believe he cannot play well because he is white. He teams up with Sidney Deane, a talented but cocky player, to create a business where they trick others into picking Billy as a teammate. While their system initially succeeds, the partnership is strained by Sidney's resentment over a previous loss. As Billy tries to navigate his gambling debts to mobsters and his girlfriend's aspirations to appear on a game show, the two men must decide if they can work together to win a major outdoor tournament.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Billy Hoyle, a white basketball player who hustles streetballers by exploiting their prejudice, is pursued by mobsters for a gambling debt. He partners with Sidney Deane, a talented player who wants to buy a house. They initially succeed in hustling others, but Sidney double-crosses Billy to avenge a previous loss. After the women in their lives intervene, the men agree to team up for a two-on-two tournament. Despite bickering, they win $5,000, but Billy loses his share after failing to dunk. To win back his girlfriend Gloria, who wants to be on Jeopardy!, Billy helps her get on the show where she wins $14,100. Later, Sidney's winnings are stolen, and he asks Billy to help him play against two legends, 'The King' and 'The Duck'. Billy agrees, gambling Gloria's money. They win, and Billy finally dunks. The film ends with Billy paying his debts and the two men becoming friends, returning to the court for a one-on-one game.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ron Shelton
- Writers
- Ron Shelton · writer
- Cast and characters
- Wesley Snipes · Sidney "Syd" Deane; Woody Harrelson · Billy Hoyle; Rosie Perez · Gloria Clemente; Tyra Ferrell · Rhonda Deane; Cylk Cozart · Robert; Kadeem Hardison · Junior; John Marshall Jones · Walter; Ernest Harden Jr. · George
- Genres
- sports comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- Prejudice; Betrayal; Friendship; Ambition
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Sports; Charismatic
- Premise and plot tags
- Sports Comedy; Buddy Comedy; Streetball
- Franchise connections
- 20th Century Studios franchises
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was a box office success, recognized for its sharp dialogue and cultural resonance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · review count: 106; Metacritic · score: 65 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Nominated Sports Film · AFI's 10 Top 10 · 2008 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Ron Shelton drew on his experiences as a former college basketball star and a regular at YMCA pickup games in Hollywood.; The character of Gloria was originally conceived as an upper-class white girl at Smith or Barnard.; NBA player Gary Payton made an uncredited appearance as an unidentified street baller.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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