Credit: 20th Century StudiosWhite Men Can’t Jump (2023) is the Disney+/ Hulu remake of the 1992 movie of the same name — but does it land the shot or fail to make it to the court?
Related: Disney+ and Hulu Will Be Combined On One App by the End of the Year
The movie follows the same format as the original. A once promising basketball star, Kamal (Sinqua Wallis) has fallen on hard times after his upward trajectory was interrupted by his deciding to fight a heckling fan in the stands. Jeremy (Jack Harlow) was a similarly promising young talent, until two knee injuries and an over-reliance on pain meds stalled his career too.
The pair cross paths at an L.A gym, and despite their differences, a plan forms: they can use their reputation and appearance as failures to their advantage to make a quick buck out of hustling on the courts. To do so, they’ll have to overcome their differences — and not just their different racial backgrounds, which, as you might expect from the title, form a chunk of the narrative.
There’s some clunky exposition as the pair work through their initial impressions and stereotypical expectations of one another and their place in the game. Everything from hair to music taste forms the subject of some stilted banter. That exposition applies to the lead pair’s backstories too, with Kamal’s father playing a key part, in a touching performance from the late Lance Hendricks as a man dealing with MS.
Kamal carries the weight of guilt as well as responsibility for his family on his shoulders. With that much emotional baggage, it leaves little room for the wit and banter that adds some levity to the situation.
For his part, music star Harlow is dealt a slightly different hand. His Jeremy is a pastiche of the modern millennial, all detox cleanses, textured fits and New Age meditative practices. Yes, he’s dealing with an opioid addiction, but at least his neutral stance is ‘goofball’.
They’re supported by Teyani Taylor as Kamal’s wife Imani, and Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Laura Harrier as Jeremy’s girlfriend Tatiana. They’re saddled with supporting their partners, Imani taking on punishing hairdressing shifts and Tatiana compromising her dance career to keep her and Jeremy afloat.
It’s heavy stuff, and often-clunky dialogue doesn’t help get it off the ground. There are moments of fun: a hustle goes horribly wrong when a mark pulls out a flamethrower, of all things, from his car, and Harlow’s natural spark brings a little extra shine to his scenes flirting with gym attendees to flog his detox cleanse. There’s also a great soundtrack of 90’s hip-hop classics that suit the Sunkist color grade that drenches this movie’s depiction of L.A.
A winning turn from Jack Harlow isn’t enough to help White Men Can’t Jump get far enough off the ground to make an impact.
White Men Can’t Jump is available on Hulu in the U.S and on Disney+ internationally.
Related: Disney Permanently Removing Shows for Hulu-Disney+ Merger
What do you think to the 2023 remake? Tell us in the comments below.