Critique: Film> Reviews.

White Men Can't Jump was written and directed by Ron Shelton. It's an enjoyable Comedy about two basketball hustlers (Snipes and Harrelson) who firstly compete with one another and then join forces to con money from opponents on the courts of Venice Beach, California.

The dialogue and the sports choreography is where the film really shines. Snipes and Harrelson make a great pairing, exchanging racial insults and boasting about their skills as basketball players on the regular. And they have every reason to: They each demonstrate that they are more than capable of playing the sport. If they weren’t actors, you’d think that they lived for the game.

The two leads have a friendly rivalry, giving the picture plenty of energy. It's interesting as their verbal exchanges raise issues of racial stereotypes, loyalty and self-reliance, adding a deeper dimension to the film, which you tend not to get in other buddy movies.

Despite Rosie Perez as the annoying girlfriend to Harrelson, and dragging a bit towards the end, White Men Can't Jump is a film for everyone to be at ease with. You can enjoy it, and you don't even have to like basketball.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.