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White Men Can't Jump (2023)



White Men Can't Jump is a remake of the 1992 film, this time with a more modern story.

There are two screenplay writers on this film, Kenya Barris and Doug Hall. Barris and Hall are known for Black-ish so take that for what you will. Barris also did Coming 2 America and is much more prolific. Ron Shelton was brought on to help keep the bones of the original there. The writing isn't horrible but it isn't anything special.

The director is Calmatic who isn't really known for movies as he's a music video director having done that Old Town Road song. There were some scenes I would have reshot but overall decent job.

After seeing The Blackening earlier this year I was going to compare Sinqua Walls then and now. He's much better in this film as Kamal. He is also given a lot more to work with in this film with the beautiful Teyana Taylor playing his wife. She's great and believable. 

Jack Harlow is dating Laura Harrier, and playing the titular character. I didn't know who Harlow was before this film as I had not seen any of his music videos. He does a really good job for this being his first movie. He falls into the white guy amongst black people pretty well and the dialogue they give him he delivers. Laura Harrier has a resting-innocent face and you might recognize her from BlacKkKlansman or Spider-Man: Homecoming. This is probably her best performance.

The film can't live up to the first one because Jack Harlow doesn't have the comedic timing of Woody. I gave the original a B and this one a B-.



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