White Men Can’t Jump: The Remake We Didn’t Know We Needed.
Here it is Pulltab Sports readers, my most controversial opinion… The White Men Can’t Jump (2023) remake is better than the original. Yep, I said it, BETTER.
Yes to answer your question, I have seen the comments on social media, about how Hollywood is out of ideas, and they need to stop adulterating classics with crappy remakes. But you want to know who is saying this stuff: GenX men over 40 years old. For these guys the original White Men Can’t Jump (1992) came out during their formative years and as a result, they have a bias that won’t let them see the flaws in the origianl or watch the remake with an open mind.
So if you haven’t checked out the new White Men Can’t Jump on Hulu yet, let me tell you all the reasons why it surpasses the original. And if you are one of those men over forty that are unwilling to give the remake a chance, Hulu is also streaming the 1992 version just for you.
Let’s start off with the epic bromances in this movie.
Kamal (Sinqua Walls) and Jeremy (Jack Harlow) have great on-screen chemistry. The movie walks you through the development of their friendship both on and off the court. Kamal and Jeremy are both frozen in time, after a shared history of having to quit the game much younger than expected. As they bond, the friends help each other move on from the past and into a happy ever ending type of future. A bromance I was invested in and rooting for throughout.
Not trying to say that Sidney (Wesley Snipes) and Billy (Woody Harrelson) didn’t have their moments together, but their friendship often felt pushed and inauthentic. Even through the end of the movie they were doing things because they “owed” the other, not out of a true bromance. As you may recall Sidney even hustles Billy after they are teammates for more money.
I cannot talk about this movie without mentioning Speedy (Vince Staples) and Renzo’s (Myles Bullock) bromance. Speedy and Renzo are Kamal’s buddies that are not the main focus but are hanging around for the majority of the film. This duo had me laughing out loud more than once, they no doubt deserve their own spin-off. I would equate the dynamic and hilarity of these two to Cotton McKnight (Gary Cole) and Pepper Brooks (Jason Bateman) from the movie Dodgeball. Sure they are only supporting roles, but the movie would never be the same without their vibes. In the original, Sidney has a crew, but there is no real equivalent to these two characters.
Moving on, the basketball in the remake, I have to say it again better. Now I can’t say for sure if it has to do with the development of filming technology since 1992 or not, but the basketball in the remake feels more reminiscent of watching an actual game. Whereas in the original, there were a lot of back-and-forth cut shots, sorry for the dig, but it felt like watching a Michael Bay film. As far as skills, both Woody Harrelson and Sinqua Walls played ball in college which helped the believability of games in the films. But in a one-on-one between Jack Harlow and Wesley Snipes, my money is on Harlow. Snipes has no baller skills and mentioned in multiple interviews that all of his shots were bricks. Even though Jack Harlow, is no match for Sinqua Walls, he has a passion for the game and has put his skills on the screen before. I mean he is in a New Balance commercial playing ball with Kawhi Leonard afterall.
I will try to be brief on this one, but as a female, I do feel it necessary to compare the female characters in the original and the remake. In the original, both Sidney and Billy’s partners were unemployed and mostly absent from any of the games. Not to mention that Billy and Gloria’s (Rosie Perez) relationship was toxic. Throughout the film, he yells at her to shut up and at one point throws a glass of water at her face. In contrast, the remake develops the ambitious careers of both Kamal’s partner Imani (Teyana Taylor), and Jeremy’s girlfriend Tatiana (Laura Harrier). Not to mention that Kamal’s and Imani’s relationship is serious #relationshipgoals. As a woman that loves basketball and basketball movies, it makes a big difference to me, to see a change from the sexist themes in the 1992 version to role model women in the 2023 remake.
The last thing to mention is the soundtrack of the films. I will not deny that the soundtrack of the original was absolutely fire. It is a good listen even to this day. Though there have been 20 years of music that has come out since that 1992 soundtrack. Which is why, I pick the remake as the better soundtrack. The new movie does a great job of mixing in some of the old classics of the original with new beats such as a recent release of Jack Harlow himself. Hulu has the playlist on Spotify, give it a listen for yourself.
In summary in 4/4 categories the White Men Can’t Jump (2023) is better. If you want to try and tell me I am wrong @emmiwitdahoops on IG and Twitter
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