049 White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

“THIS IS NOT ABOUT BLACK AND WHITE. THIS IS ABOUT MONEY. THIS IS ABOUT GREEN. YOU GOT THAT?“

On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we go back to the 90’s to cover a different basketball movie: White Men Can’t Jump, directed by Ron Shelton, starring Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and Rosie Perez. What was it about the 90’s and basketball? Is it just us, or did basketball feel so much bigger back then? Is that just the nostalgia talking, or is there any truth to that admittedly generalized statement?

Although not being sports guys, we talk about how movies will use the sports setting to bring up social issues, like race, gender and social status to provide stakes and conflict to the characters already engaged in a competition that yields winners and losers. Often times these issues may be over simplified to provide an easier viewing experience for the audience, but sometimes the films offer no easy, end-all solution. Such is the case in White Men Can’t Jump.

Comedies, more so than other genres, do not have a great track record on this podcast for aging particularly well. Sometimes jokes that were edgy back then, are either too tame or just grossly inappropriate for a contemporary audience. What is timeless though, is the performances that these jokes are accompanied with. We get into how well the cast of this film delivers the comedy, and how this movie makes us laugh 30 years after it debuted in theatres. We also talk about the absolute gem of a performance Rosie Perez gives us, and talk about what she said the role means to her.

To just call this film a sports comedy would be a disservice. We get into the themes, messages, and dive deep on the fictional characters of the insecure gambling addict Billy Hoyle, the providing hustler in Sydney Deane, and romantic Jeopardy fanatic in Gloria Clemente. Being that 30 years have passed, we get into some fun behind the scenes trivia that is now available due to the cast and crew spilling the proverbial beans.

If that sounds like fun, give this episode a listen! And/or share this episode with someone you know!

See you in two weeks!

You can listen to this episode on:

Spotify: HERE

Apple Podcast: HERE

Stitcher: HERE

Google Podcast: HERE