White Men Can't Jump

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White Men Can't Jump

R

1992

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

107 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) is a white basketball hustler who banks on black players underestimating his skills on the court. When he pulls one over on Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes), his victim sees a lucrative opportunity, and they become partners in the con game, plying their trade across the courts of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Billy has to keep one step ahead of mobsters, to whom he owes money, while staying on the good side of his Jeopardy!-obsessed, motormouth wife (Rosie Perez).

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Critics Consensus

White Men Can't Jump provides a fresh take on the sports comedy genre, with a clever script and a charismatic trio of leads.

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Jack Mathews

Newsday

08/31/2023

2.5/4

The street comedy has the rhythm of a basketball game itself. There are fast breaks, some solid teamwork, plenty of slam dunks and, alas, too many time outs.

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Henry Sheehan

Sight & Sound

08/31/2023

[The] cleverly simple idea guarantees that the film is never less than amusing, and the casting of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, and particularly Rosie Perez, ensures that even the most exposition-laden lines crackle.

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Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

08/31/2023

Shelton takes us right to the street hoops and slam dunks a winner. The movie is funny, it's fast and it's funky.

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Ernece B. Kelly

The Crisis

11/27/2023

This is a side of working class life that movies rarely look at. And this fresh point-of-view keeps White Men from sliding into unrealistic and potentially harmful generalities.

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Michael Sragow

San Francisco Examiner

08/31/2023

4/4

In White Men Can't Jump, Shelton & Co. turn the slam dunk into the stuff of life and art.

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Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

08/31/2023

4/4

It's a wonderfully funny and delightful and provocatively titled movie about the trash-talking intimidations of playground basketball.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

9.5/10 Best sports movie

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Eric T.

@TopGunET Jun 14

WoW everything yeah and Amen... Just a little closer Walk with Thee, Dear Lord, let it be, as the Psalmist sang during the Intro of the Movie. WoW...

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Chris B.

@ctotheg Apr 17

Favorite nostalgic movie of all time!! I had a basketball in my hand 24/7 as a kid…..the bulls had just won their 2nd title and then this movie came out. 1992 might be the best year this world has ever seen. 5/5

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Caz M

@CazMartino Apr 14

This is one of the better basketball movies out there. Great 90's style and slang. Good basketball scenes and pace. It ends a bit deflated, but it kept it fun.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 18

A success on home media. Funny in 1 hour and 54 minutes. Rated R. The worldwide gross is $90,753,806.00 over a budget of $31,000,000.00. I love mixing basketball with comedy stars.

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Chris T

@Chris651 Feb 27

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Funny as hell and Snipes and Harrelson are outstanding! Perez is also wonderful in this movie and the Jeopardy show part featuring the great Alex Trebek is classic! A definite must see whether you are a fan of basketball or not! The movie takes you into the world of sports hustling, like The Color of Money, but distinct variations in plot. The comedy factor is high and just keeps getting better as the movie progresses. Will definitely keep your attention, make you laugh a lot and is simply an all around classic that never gets old.

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Ron Shelton

Director

Wesley Snipes

Sidney Deane

Woody Harrelson

Billy Hoyle

Rosie Perez

Gloria Clemente

Tyra Ferrell

Rhonda Deane

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Synopsis

Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) is a white basketball hustler who banks on black players underestimating his skills on the court. When he pulls one over on Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes), his victim sees a lucrative opportunity, and they become partners in the con game, plying their trade across the courts of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Billy has to keep one step ahead of mobsters, to whom he owes money, while staying on the good side of his Jeopardy!-obsessed, motormouth wife (Rosie Perez).

Director: Ron Shelton
Producer: Don Miller, David V. Lester
Screenwriter: Ron Shelton
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 1992, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.6M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Surround