White Men Can't Jump (1992)
White Men Can't Jump was the link movie connecting Blade II and Boyz n the Hood.
Linked through Wesley Snipes and Tyra Ferrell.
Both Wesley Snipes and Tyra Ferrell appeared in White Men Can't Jump.
About White Men Can't Jump
"It ain't easy being this good."
Two street basketball hustlers try to con each other, then team up for a bigger score.
Directed by Ron Shelton
Written by Ron Shelton
Where to watch
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Powered by JustWatch
Top cast
Behind the camera
Box office
Awards
The film was recognized by the American Film Institute in 2008 with a nomination in AFI's 10 Top 10 program as a nominated Sports Film.
Soundtrack
Capitol Records released two soundtracks: White Men Can't Jump (March 24, 1992), an R&B-heavy album that peaked at #92 on the Billboard 200 and featured the single White Men Can't Jump by Riff (peaked #90) with a video starring Harrelson, Snipes, and Perez; and White Men Can't Rap (April 7, 1992), an all-hip-hop album that reached #79 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and included Main Source's Fakin' the Funk. AllMusic rated the two releases 2.5 and 2 stars respectively.
Movie trivia
-
1
Ron Shelton conceived White Men Can't Jump while working on a Blue Chips scene set on a playground, drawing on his experiences as a former college basketball player and regular at YMCA pickup games, and set Blue Chips aside to write it.
-
2
Hall of Famer Bob Lanier was hired as the film's basketball coach; Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and others attended an intensive month-long basketball camp, and Lanier judged both leads to have Division II skill, noting Harrelson was the better player.
-
3
The character of Gloria was originally written as an upper-class white Smith or Barnard student, but Shelton reconfigured the role after Rosie Perez declined to audition saying she was having a bad hair day.
-
4
Marques Johnson appears as Raymond; Johnson was a star of UCLA's 1974–75 national championship team and later an NBA player, and he said former NBA player Reggie Harding was the inspiration for the character.
-
5
NBA guard Gary Payton makes an uncredited appearance in the film as an unidentified street baller.
-
6
The film spawned a loose Atari Jaguar video game in 1995 and was remade in 2023 starring Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow, with producers including Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil; the remake received mixed reviews.
Themes
Videos
If you liked this, try…
Or browse the full puzzle archive →