He Got Game: Fathers and Sons Play Ball (Part Two)

Along the way to earning his early parole, Denzel Washington’s Jake character ends up becoming involved with a hooker who counts as his neighbor. And while the hooker with a heart of gold thing should be well below Spike Lee’s mental prowess, it seems that He Got Game is attempting to critique women in society.

With Jake accidentally killing his wife, she should be seen as a martyr of sorts considering her death stemmed from intervening in a fight between father and son. So, she’s a good one, as is the hooker Jake befriends.

Unfortunately, Jesus finds that most women he meets are nothing but treacherous – apart from his aunt who disavows discussions of her and her husband being compensated for helping to raise the boy and his sister after Jake was sent to jail. So far, only familial women and hookers are good. Odd.

Jesus’ girlfriend, Lala, as played by Rosario Dawson, initially appears to be on the up and up, but eventually convinces the ball player to take an unsanctioned meeting with an agent. Viewers find out later that she earned a few bucks for setting up the whole thing as well.

What amounts to broad contempt for white women is the portrayal of co-eds at a college Jesus visits. In simply walking around campus, he makes out with a few eager women and is eventually gifted with two naked, buxom broads later on at a party. Is there not a white girl on campus that’s not a tramp? Guess not.

Counting as one of Lee’s most accessible films – and one that doesn’t push the run time towards a ridiculous number – viewers should have hoped for a strong finish. And Lee almost delivers. There’s an odd dichotomy throughout the entire film with the director occasionally whooing a large audience and then on occasion only black folks. But no one should be satisfied with the way the film ends.

In a winner take all, one on one battle, Jesus plays his father for what amounts to decision making powers. If he wins, his dad goes away and leaves him alone. If he looses, he enrolls in the Govenor’s alma matter and Jake’s a free man.

There’s a shot of the ball in mid air, spiraling around in the dark, a beatific, simplistic and transcendent moment in the film. It should have been the end. But Lee, long winded as ever, decides to continue on. He Got Game is just short of fantastic, too bad about the ending, though.