Because if there’s one certainty in these tenuous days it’s that the film industry is incapable of JUST LEAVING WELL ENOUGH ALONE, here comes news that we’re getting a remake of White Men Can’t Jump, which is basically a perfect comedy and isn’t exactly dusty with anachronisms but hey, how ‘bout that #branding.
The original 1992 White Men was written and directed by the gifted Ron Shelton, who made a specialty of sports pictures (he also helmed Bull Durham, Tin Cup, and Cobb, as well as writing The Best of Times, Blue Chips, and The Great White Hype). It features Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes in their second and best on-screen teaming, as well as an uproarious supporting turn by Rosie Perez at absolute Peak Rosie Perez. Roger Ebert was a particularly big fan, writing upon its release, “The language is one of the great joys of this film, not just because of its energy and spirit (most of the characters are gifted verbal improvisers) but because of its originality. The usual four-letter words and their derivatives are upstaged by some of the most creative and bizarre insults I have ever heard in a movie.”
But hey, this one’ll be even better, because it’s produced by basketball star Blake Griffin and football star Ryan Kalil, and as THR notes, “The title comes into play when Snipes’ character makes fun of Harrelson for his inability to make dunk shots. (Griffin knows a thing or two about dunking, having won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2011.)” See! The original didn’t have any real basketball player producers!
And yes, I know, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris will write and produce, which in theory should alleviate concerns, but all it’s doing here is making us wonder why they won’t just let Kenya Barris do something original.
Anyway, movies. Pretty soon they’ll run out of things to remake/reboot/franchise, I guess!