Spike Lee’s He Got
Game is a movie about America made by a man who loves basketball and the
opportunity represented by this country. Stories of race relations have often
driven Lee to make provocative films. Even when he’s not sharp, we see he has
something interesting to say.
Lee is usually at his best when he keeps his focus on
small communities in Brooklyn. He Got
Game is set mostly in Coney Island, but the story has connections to the
broader American community. The two main characters are diametrically opposed
black men. Denzel Washington is Jake Shuttlesworth, a man with undying love for
his children, but also a pent up rage that led to the death of his wife, for
which he is now serving time in state prison. Ray Allen is his son, Jesus
(pronounced like Jesus of the Bible), who is the number one high school basketball
prospect in the country.
