‘White Men Can’t Jump’ Review: A Remix Full of Fun and Heart

This review was made possible by a screener of White Men Can’t Jump provided by Disney for review purposes. White Men Can’t Jump releases on Hulu on May 19th.

A reboot is always a tough sell for some people, whether it be not wanting to see a property taken in the wrong direction, or just simply not seeing a point to continue or redo a story that’s already been done perfectly. Fortunately for fans of the 1992 classic White Men Can’t Jump starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and Rosie Perez, the 2023 version of the film is just as director Calmatic describes it— a remix and not a reboot. 

This White Man Can’t Jump, But He Can Act! 

Many like myself may find themselves instantly invested in this film’s new protagonists, with Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow as Kamal and Jeremy, respectively. The two are quite fun together, and have a great amount of chemistry that has this frenemy but teetering towards best friend energy, as they play incredibly well off each other, like they just have something to prove.

What might shock people the most is Harlow himself— the rapper recently turned leading man with this film— is able to adapt to this new environment rapidly. While obviously we’re not looking at an award-worthy performance, Harlow could have the potential to spark quite a career in comedy films, as his comedic timing is pretty good. Sinqua’s character has quite the redemption story; after losing something he’d been working toward his whole life and settling down with a family, he really sells some great emotional moments— specifically alongside his father, played by the late Lance Reddick. The supporting characters here are also pretty great, with Vince Staples and Myles Bullock as Kamal’s friends who add some great side banter. 

Basketball is Love Basketball is Life 

The story itself really isn’t anything too complicated… just a few dudes being dudes, down on their luck, who need to come up with some cash and QUICK! This brings Kamal and Jeremy together as an unlikely duo that work through their differences to make enough money to enter a competition with a grand prize that could solve all their problems. While for a brief moment the movie seems to forget it’s a narrative, feeling like a highlight reel as the movie sort of gets lost in the back-to-back-to-back games, that’s not to say these are boring. Even those who aren’t into sports all too much will find themselves interested— and I think that says a lot about Calmatic’s style and the way he shot these games, finding new ways to get creative so it didn’t get stale. 

Friendship! 

As stated above, Kamal and Jeremy are an unlikely duo; they come from different backgrounds and are two very different people. But what the film does is make you know that it shouldn’t stop them from being friends. As Calmatic said, this is not a reboot, this is a remix— it’s similar to what you know and love, but they’re putting a new spin on it. It’s about a love for the sport, for the game; it’s about looking beyond the color of someone’s skin and just being a friend, and helping your friend when they fall down. These protagonists are two people who thought they’d lost the one thing in life they’d loved, but together they once again make it a reality for each other. 

‘White Men Can’t Jump’ – Final Thoughts

While at first it probably had people scratching their heads in confusion, White Men Can’t Jump is good fun and has heart; it perfectly pulls off a modern reimagining with quite a dynamic duo in Walls and Harlow. It’s funny, it’s fresh, and it’s simple. Hopefully, we start to see a lot more from Calmatic and the rest of the crew in this movie— especially Harlow, who delivers a great debut performance. 

White Men Can’t Jump releases on Hulu on May 19th. Check out the trailer below:

Fancy reading something else? Why not check out: ‘Fast X’ Review — An Improvement Over The Last, But Is It Enough to Save the Franchise?