After the horrendous “House Party” remake, it’s pretty clear that director Calmatic is a nineties kid who loves the decade. The problem is that like “House Party,” his modern remake of “White Men Can’t Jump” can’t quite catch the lightning in a bottle energy and flavor that the originals held. He packs his soundtrack with nineties hip hop, nineties references, and even revives nineties-esque fashion for his characters. But when it comes down to it, “House Party” and “White Men…” had a real spontaneous energy about them that Calmatic can’t grasp, yet.
“White Men Can’t Jump” is a modern remix of the classic 1992 film that celebrates the street ball hustling culture of Los Angeles. Multi-platinum rap star Jack Harlow makes his movie debut as Jeremy, a former star of the game whose injuries stalled his career. Sinqua Walls stars as Kamal, once a promising player who derailed his own future in the sport. Juggling tenuous relationships, financial pressures and serious internal struggles, the two ballers–opposites who are seemingly miles apart–find they might have more in common than they imagined possible.
The first “House Party” was a fluke in a long drawn out series of abysmal comedies, while “White Men…” paired two unlikely actors to become one of the more appealing comedy duos of the nineties. Calmatic can’t quite figure out yet how to revive that sense of energy and dynamite chemistry that Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes brought to table. Granted, Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls are pretty okay as the mismatched pair of hustlers. They especially do their damndest to create the whole different sides of the coin tension that Snipes and Harrelson perfected. And with respect, Laura Harrier is nowhere near as memorable as Rosie Perez.
Director Calmatic is not quite at the point yet where his remakes feel like sincere love letters. They still feel like reduxes of mini-classics from a decade that never wants to carve out its own niche. “White Men…” like “House Party,” feels safe, and routine, and painfully bland. I say that as someone that never really loved the original 1992 film. I fondly remember it being a big hit and being wildly popular, but I always personally enjoyed “Money Train” so much more. I was never too sure what Calmatic (and writers Kenya Barris and Doug Hall) was aiming for in terms of energy either, as the movie unevenly balances between drama and comedy, and garners this awful dark yellow tint that’s consistent throughout the movie.
Again, rather than being a summer movie as the original was, Calmatic works overtime to force the summer movie energy. It, like “House Party” feel like meticulously planned studio remakes going from point A to point B on brand recognition. I’d be interested in seeing what Calmatic can bring to film with his own ideas, very soon. But I don’t predict the roll out of nineties remakes will end any time soon. “White Men Can’t Jump” isn’t terrible. It kept my attention. But it definitely doesn’t aspire to be anything but a serviceable portion of nineties nostalgia.
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