Basketball is at the forefront of many people’s minds right now, with the NBA playoffs in full swing, so perhaps it’s the perfect time to check out a new take on one of the all-time great basketball movies. White Men Can’t Jump, a remake of the 1992 classic, stars Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow. It’s a tricky thing, though, to retool a well-known and beloved film, and many are wondering if the new leads can capture the same chemistry that endeared us to the OG actors more than 30 years ago. The reviews are here to give us some insight into that exact issue.
Rapper Jack Harlow is making his acting debut in the role made famous by Woody Harrelson. Sinqua Walls, meanwhile, will put his spin on Wesley Snipes’ character when White Men Can’t Jump is released to Hulu subscription holders May 19. First reactions to the remake were mostly positive, so now that the critics have had a chance to expand on their initial social media reports, let’s see what they’re saying.
Timothy Cogshell of AV Club grades the movie a C, saying it leans on crass humor rather than the shared insights of two people from different backgrounds. Also, the overall premise voiced in the movie’s title hasn’t exactly aged well, the critic says:
While this notion [that Jack Harlow’s Jeremy can’t play basketball because he’s white] may have been comedically plausible in 1992—after all, a white man did not win an NBA slam dunk contest until 1996—in 2023, it reads a bit racist, and I’m saying this as a critic who is also Black. And none of the conceits the filmmakers insinuate into the story—including mentioning that the idea conveyed in the movie’s title is, in fact, racist—makes it any less so. So they press on and make a film that explores ideas around anger management, grief, fear of failure, and race based on the premise that white men can’t jump.
Kate Erbland of IndieWire gives a grade of C+, expressing frustration over the flashes of what this movie could have been. The leading actors have an unexpected chemistry but overall the critic notes a distinct lack of energy and cohesion on the screen, writing:
It’s funny in fits and starts (Kamal’s wacky cousins, played by Vince Staples and Myles Bullock, are consistently amusing), clever enough about the way we talk about race among friends, and comforting in its predictability. But that overwrought, overwritten script and leaden pacing throughout its first two acts weighs everything down. This thing should be light on its feet, fleet and fast and fun. Instead, it drags down the court, taking plenty of shots, but never quite sinking any of them.
Chase Hutchinson of Collider pulls no punches in his reaction to White Men Can’t Jump, grading it a D and laying the blame primarily at the feet of Jack Harlow, who the critic calls a “mediocre rapper” and “an even worse actor.” Harlow is out of his depth, Hutchinson says, giving a hollow performance in an unnecessary and unfunny remake. The review continues:
Where Harrelson didn’t overplay the character, proving to be more convincing in everything from his trash-talking to his play, Harlow’s entire performance feels like it is both trying too hard and not trying hard enough. His expression basically never changes, going from blank befuddlement to empty smiles, and every conversation feels like he is reading it for the first time. Considering comedy is all about timing, this ends up being the death blow that everything else must try to battle against.
Adam Nayman of The Ringer says it would be hard for any remake to top Ron Shelton’s 1992 movie, and while the 2023 version has some solidly staged basketball scenes, there’s nothing as exciting or kinetic as what we saw in the original. The critic says:
Shelton’s White Men Can’t Jump ends with a wry parody of/homage to Rocky III, with Sidney and Billy still going at it—eternal sparring partners locked in mano a mano combat. This version wraps things up even more optimistically, leaning into crowd-pleasing in a way that feels shameless. But then, shame is beside the point when you’re talking about remakes, especially ones that feel like they have to justify their own existence. In a case like this, the best you can hope for is a movie that politely renovates intellectual property instead of desecrating it—one that clears a low bar without tripping over itself.
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gives White Men Can’t Jump 2.5 out of 4 stars, noting that while the remake is breezy and occasionally amusing, there’s never a moment when it doesn’t feel unnecessary. He continues:
(The whole ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ angle is essentially lost, as nobody really cares that Jeremy is white. Sure, they underestimate him a little, but that’s mostly because he looks and talks like such a goof.) The buddy-movie chemistry between Walls and Harlow is just OK, and the dialogue rarely rises above the level of Jeremy saying, ‘Why are black guys so obsessed with haircuts?’ and Kamal responding, ‘Why do white guys not give a f--- about ’em?’
Despite the positive first reactions, it looks like critics are overall underwhelmed by Calmatic’s latest project. However, if it sounds like something you might enjoy, or if you want to check out Jack Harlow’s acting debut and on-screen chemistry with Sinqua Walls, you’ll be able to fire up the movie from the comfort of your own home, when it hits Hulu on Friday, May 19. You can also start planning your next trip to the theater by checking out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule.
