Amazon Prime Video original film He Got Game was released May 1st, 1998.
#HeGotGame made $21.5M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 80%
metacritic: 64
imdb: 6.9
Jake Shuttlesworth
Jake Shuttlesworths’ son Jesus is the #1 HS basketball recruit in the country out of Coney Island, New York.
“What’s up, Books? Warden? What’s this all about? Yes, sir. I try to stay fit. Trying, you know, everything like that, keep my mind occupied. Basketball? Yes. Uh, yes, sir, when I was younger. You know, I put in a little work. Yeah, I ran a neighborhood center. Let’s go. Show me that. Oh, Good. That’s good! But you crossed over. You still bailed out. Nah, nah, nothing like that there. I just… you know, I see somebody out there, a little kid, needs some help. I work with ’em, you know, give ’em a few tips. Which hand did you shoot with?” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Which hand you supposed to be shooting with? But nowadays, uh, Warden, they– these kids ain’t gonna listen to nothing you say, you know? They think they know it all. All they want to do is dunk and, you know, everything like that. They fundamentals is, uh, is, like, sorely lacking. Yeah, well, you, heh, the kids are smart. They know they don’t listen to you they end up in here with me.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Uh, nah, nah. I never voted. Yeah. Yeah, think I saw something like that about him on TV. Yes, sir. You know, some people rate him that high. Some don’t, you know, 2, 3. 6. Always been proud of my son even before he was the number one prospect in the whole entire world. God is working with me on that, sir. The governor can do that? I mean, he can– he can– I’m looking at 15, warden. I mean, this… this for real, right? Can’t do nothing in here, though. I mean, behind these, uh, behind these bars, you know, these walls and everything like that.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“I mean, uh, something like this here… can’t be worked out over the phone or– one week? Guard! Guard! Spivey, I’m sick as a dog, man. Here. Drink that. Drink it. Yeah, capisce. Can you pull over? Please. So where are y’all staying at, huh? That’s what I figured. Why ain’t KI stayin’ down there with y’all? Hey, I ain’t mad at nobody. You understand what I’m saying? Heh.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Hey, it’s better than the Mariott. Yeah, I overstand it. I understand it, I overstand it. All right. So y’all gonna be following me everywhere I go? So, uh… how long I got exactly? Yeah, I guess I better get working then, huh? Yeah, I bet you will. Great. Everything’s lovely. Nice seeing you gentlemen. Thank you. Oh! Thank you, Jesus. Nah. I don’t think so. Yeah, you right. Uh… obviously I’m wrong, brother. It’s my mistake. Uh… no disrespect. I don’t want no trouble, man.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Miss Shuttlesworth. Boo-boo. It’s okay. How you doing, baby? Ohh! My little woman. How you doing, baby? Look at you. You done all grown up and everything like that, didn’t you? How’s he doing? How’s your brother? All right? He’s supposed to be bossy and everything like that. He’s supposed to be. Taking care of his little sister. Last night. Look, come on, let me walk you over to Uncle Bubba and Aunt Sally’s house. Where do you all live at? So who paying the rent? Your brother? He working? So how long you been living around there? Really? That’s good.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“How you doing in school? All right? In science, yeah? What you studying? Cells? Yeah, me, too. Right here? Hey, it’s all right. It’s pretty nice. Handsome. So… you ain’t gonna invite me upstairs? With who? Tell you what. I’ll… I’ll leave before he come, all right? All right, boo? Toothbrush, toothpaste. An afro pick. Ah, ha! You thought I forgot, huh? Yeah, a little bit. Little bit. Who is this, baby? Lala Bonilla. Can Daddy’s little boo-boo keep a secret? I’m out on a… what you call, like, a work-release program, baby. Whereas if I– well, I got a week to do a job.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Meaning if I do a good job I can get out sooner than expected. Can’t tell you that yet, baby. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Sit down. Number one, you ain’t too young. You’re a young woman. It’s just that I could get in trouble. Now you don’t want your daddy to get in trouble, do you? You don’t know what that means to your daddy. Now let’s hit them skittles. Your brother, he’s doing all right, huh? Yeah? Yeah. Can he? You think so? Yeah, he probably can.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
“Hello, son. Hey, wait a minute– son– why are you doing this? Don’t talk to your sister like that. All right, look, I need to talk to you. Well, I just need to. When can we talk? All right, where are you gonna be at, ’cause this is kind of urgent– all right, man, all right. All right, I’ll see you down there. Enjoy the skittles, baby.” — Jake Shuttlesworth
Jesus Shuttlesworth
“Right. Let’s play some ball. Gonna kick these motherfucker’s ass. Got big man. By yourself, man, let’s go, baby. That’s off. Brick. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, G. We’re playing basketball. Lock him up. Oh, shit! I got kit. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Gimme the ball. I’m open. Nice shot, Johnny. Whoo-hoo! Good pass, baby. Shot! I got it. Aaah! Unhh!”
“Yo, sip, get ready to help out. Booger’s about to get beat. Get that steal. Basketball is like poetry in motion. Just coming down the court, you got a defender in your way, you take ’em to the left, you take ’em back to the right, and he’s falling back and you just — j, right in his face. And then you look at him, and then then you say ‘what?'”
“Know y’all did y’all homework last night. What’s up, Raymond? What’s up? Oh, they didn’t tell you? the B36 don’t come until I get here, Lala. You know I got it like that. Why you gonna play me like that, huh? That’s crazy. Not yet. You now I’ll never keep anything from you. Never. Who’s the guy? What does he do? Lala, you know I ain’t supposed to be talking to no agent. You know that shit is illegal. You know that.”
“My head is on my shoulders, it’s gonna stay there. I’m not fuckin’ with no agents, Lala. So? I don’t know. Let me think about it. I’ll see you in fourth period, all right? I’m just happy when this stuff is over with. Yeah. You know what? That’s the thing. That’s the thing that’s bothering me. And, you know, you’re my coach, so, I mean, I don’t mind. I mean, every time I walk down the hallways– ‘where you going?’ ‘Where you going?’ ‘Have you chosen a school yet?’ ‘Are you going to the NBA?’ I’m tired of hearing that.”
“People don’t care about me. They care about themselves. I mean, they’re just trying to get over, trying to get a piece of Jesus, that’s all. Sometimes between now and Monday morning 10 A.M. I still have a lot of thinking to do. I have to weigh my options. Yeah, I got it. Yeah, I know that, too. Yeah, I remember. You tell me every day. I know what you told me, coach. I know, I know. This is gonna be the most important decision of your life.”
“Coach, I understand the magnitude of this decision. Mary, what did I tell you about letting strangers in the house? I don’t have a father. Trippin’? We’ll see who’s trippin’ later on tonight. What did I tell you about talking to stranger’s anyway? And why? So why did you let this stranger in our house? Mary, you hear me talking to you. Don’t play deaf. I’m not standing here for my health, and you ain’t deaf.”
“Am I talking to you? Matter of fact, I don’t even know why you’re here. Mary, answer me right now. It’s time for you to get to steppin’. And I’d appreciate it if you don’t ever walk through that door ever again. Why? I don’t know. I’m– I’m usually around. I’m usually at the Garden, all right? Yeah. You see me there. No, you enjoy walking out that front door. Oh! You– get in there. Open the door!”
Mary Shuttlesworth
“We’ll talk about this tomorrow. I’ll see you later. Daddy. Daddy. That’s what I keep trying to tell him. Bossy as usual. Daddy, when did you get out? We don’t live there anymore. He moved us out. O’Dwyer Gardens. Uncle Bubba hasn’t changed a bit. My brother. No. About a year. Yeah. Yeah. I got an ‘A’ in science. Oh, cells or something. Mm-hmm. So this is our building. Yeah.”
“I don’t know if I should. I could get in trouble. You know who. Okay. What’s in the bag? Underwear. Skittles, daddy. You were shopping? That’s Lala. Lala Bonilla. Jesus’s lady. Daddy, how’d you get out? I thought you were gonna be away a long, long time. Yeah. Meaning? Well, what kind of job do you have to do?”
“Because I’m too young. I cannot wait until I’m 18. I am tired of people telling me that I’m not old enough. ‘Can’t do this.’ ‘No, no, honey, can’t do this.’ ‘You’re too young.’ No. I don’t want you getting into any more trouble. I know it wasn’t your fault. I know you didn’t mean it. He is so good. He is better than good, daddy. You should see him play. He’s a zillion times better than when you last saw him. I mean, remember when he used to be so weak on his left hand? Not now. He can handle it with both. And he can– I mean, he can shake so good. I bet he can finally beat you.”
“He’s not a stranger. He’s our father. Daddy, he’s trippin’. Don’t do it. Because they may cause us harm. I won’t do it again, I promise! Help!”
Lala Bonilla
“Thank you. I saw you running. Don’t even try to play it off. If you would have been on time there would have been no need to run. The bus would have come sooner, I would have been on it. You played yourself, you faded yourself. Ohh! You’re lucky the bus is here. It’s late like you. So, have you narrowed down your choices yet? You’re gonna let me in on your secret? Anyway, there’s this guy that I know that I want you to meet. He’s a friend of the family. His name is, uh, D’Andre Mackey. D’Andre’s an agent. Look, all he wants to do is talk to you for five minutes and see where your head is at.”
“Jesus, please? Please? Come on, he’s a friend of the family. Five minutes of your time. It’s just five minutes of your time, before you make your decision. Come on. Please? Sounds good. It’s me, baby, it’s Lala.”
Coach Cincotta
“It won’t be long now. I mean, what do you got– uh, a Monday morning 10 A.M. press conference, right? Have you made a decision yet? I can understand that. Lookit– maybe it’s in your best interests to take it as a compliment. I mean, people really do care about you. Um, not everybody’s a scumbag. I mean, some are, don’t get me wrong, but not everybody. Okay? When are you gonna make a decision?”
“You got my home phone number, right? You call me. You call me anytime. I don’t care how late it gets, you want to talk this thing through. All right, what? What? What did I say? Jesus, I always thought of you as a son. You know that, right? You remember what I told you? You remember? Make me feel good again, all right? God bless you, son. I believe you do.”
Coleman Sykes / Coney Island NY
” ♪ Don’t move too fast ♪. What up? ♪ Let’s keep control ♪ What’s up, man? Soun good though, man. We’re about to take this court over, yo. That sound good. Break it off all night man, man. I’m saying, man. We got to play for real. ♪ You just have to be willing ♪ Willing to… ♪ aw, shit. Come on, this is weak. Who got next? Hey, yo, yo, yo! We got next! That’s it. That’s it. Come on, man. For real. Dance on that kid, man. What the hell, man?”
“Get on there. Come on, face up. Yeah? Come on. Yeah. We got it. Shot! Just let me know. Let’s go, let’s go. Gimme the ball, baby. Let’s go, Boog. Yo, set the screen for him, man. Yo, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. I got hops, baby. I got hops. What? Show me somethin’, kid. I got it! On the break, off the backboard, alley-oop. Showtime. Yeah! We the Lincoln Rail Splitters, baby. What? What? What? What? You didn’t read the paper that day, son? Rail Splitters! That’s right!”
“So Jesus has led the Rail Splitters to the promised land. Despite being down late in the second half, Coach Cincotta’s team refused to die. They come back to win it, and there’s bedlam at the Garden. Number one. The game brings me love, peace, and happiness. MY name is Sip Rogers. I go to Abraham Lincoln High School. I play the 2 spot. We’re the Rail Splitters, and nobody’s fucking with us.”
“Basketball is the birthplace of all my dreams. For everything that I want to be, for everything that I want to accomplish, and what it is I want to do in life. I feel handsome when I’m on the court. You know, I feel like I’m somebody. Vertigo. Vertigo, baby. I tell ya. So what do you want to do for your birthday? What do you want to do? It’s your day? Go on the cyclone. I want to go on the turbo jet. I want to go on the wonder wheel. Damn, brother! Do you know me? Do you know my lady?”
“Well, brother, you’re looking at us with all that fucking familiarity and shit. Mind your own business, man. Bitch, what?! Oh, get your motherfuckin’ ass!”
“I was just wondering, I gotta meet your brother. Please let me meet your brother. I have to meet him. See ya. Who’s trying to break the door down?”
Crudup and Spivey
“Can’t you make him shut up? Guy’s in pain. Then give him something. We got 2 more hours to go. Man, I don’t want to hear that shit. We don’t give a shit about you or you being sick as a dog. You want to throw up? Let us know. We’ll pull over. You puke back there, my main man Crudup will see to it that you lick it all back up, every single nasty-ass drop. You understand, my brother? Capisce?”
“Remember what my main man Spivey said. Don’t get any in the car. Not a drop. Not a speck. This is Mr. Shuttlesworth. Uh, he’s not gonna be any trouble. Marriott, midtown Mahnattan. Only place on Coney Island, my man. Why waste all your valuable time commuting back and forth when you could walk to see your son right from there, huh? You also don’t have a choice. The way I see it, this is a lot better than your regular room at the hoosegow. This is Ritz to you, my man.”
“Let’s go. Keep your hands still. There you go. All right, sit down. You heard the fuck I said. I said sit down. There’s a couple of things I think we better go over. Number one, you ain’t on vacation. You’re not a free man. In the eyes of the law you are still a convicted felon. Your ass is ours. You understand that? Do you? Then answer us when we speak. Okay, the sooner you do what you’re gonna do, the better it will be for all concerned parties. Mr. Shuttlesworth, you are now wired. It’s a letter of intent for your son to sign. Take it. In here there’s some money. Get some clothing, toothpaste, deodorant, personal effects– whatever have you.”
“Take a shower. Wash your ass. Gimme your right leg. Just in case you get any smart ideas. We will track you down. And when we find you, we will shoot you dead. Now you have to check in with us daily. Plus, when we page you, you have to return our calls within 10 minutes or there’s gonna be hell to pay. No, we’re not gonna follow you. We’re gonna get you a passport, plane ticket, and a Visa card. Of course we’re gonna be around. What the fuck you think we’re gonna do?”
“You got till midnight Sunday. That would be the best thing to do. And we will see you tomorrow. How’s the tummy? Just in case.”
Attica Correctional Facility
“Shuttlesworth! Shuttlesworth. Game’s over. Warden wants to see you now. Don’t know nothin’. Don’t want to know nothin’. Tells me to get you, so I get.”
“The Bulls ain’t got nothing, especially against the Knicks. All you’re talking about is Jordan this, Jordan that. Jake, what the hell’s going on in there? Let’s go, doc! Hurry up. Where are you taking him? I don’t know. Food poisoning? I don’t know. You just pulled him in. Looks like he ate some of this fine prison cuisine.”
Coney Island, New York
“His key? Is this guy gonna be any trouble?”
“Baby love you, you have a good time? Because you look so good. You look so good. So you like the wig? I love it! you lookin’ fucking wonderful. You know what? You look like Kim Novak from what movie?”
NCAA Coaches
“Hi, young man. I’m John Thompson from Georgetown University. Hello, I’m Dean Smith, the basketball coach at the University of Carolina. I’m John Chaney from Temple University. I’m Roy Williams from the University of Kansas. I’m Coach Nolan Richardson, the University of Arkansas. I’m Lute Olsen, head basketball coach at the University of Arizona. And this will be… the most important decision… …in your life. This ill be the most important decision in your life.”
Warden Wyatt
“Thank you, Books. You may wait outside. Jake, please, sit down. Sit. I was told you were on the court. Did you already know you’ve picked the perfect recreation? Dr. James Naismith knew what he was doing. It’s a great game, isn’t it? You played some? I coach my son’s team. You coached?”
“That’s strange. I haven’t had that problem yet. I-I never thought about it like that. Uh… did you vote for Governor Purnell? No matter. What does matter is governor is a big– huge, fanatical basketball fan. He played himself, 4 years varsity at Big State. Good, not great, athlete. Well, he’s the biggest supporter Big State has. Bleeds red and white.”
“Do you have a son named Jesus Shuttlesworth? And is your son considered the number one high school prospect in these United States of America? Come on, Jake. Come on! Don’t be modest. You oughta be proud. You oughta be proud as a peacock. So you aren’t modest after all, are you?”
“Governor’s made a request, that your son Jesus Shuttlesworth seriously consider enrolling in his alma mater Big State. If you persuade your son to do this, the governor’s given me his word he’ll do everything in his power to cut your time here short… considerably. He can do that. You can make the governor very happy. He’s got a great reputation for never forgetting anyone who’s done right by him. He’s also never forgiven anyone who’s done him wrong.”
“We have to get started right away. The NCAA deadline for kids to declare is one week away. Seven days. Everything’s been arranged. Something’s been worked out. You do your part, you deliver your son, Governor Purnell will do his part. We can excuse the temporary discomfort, but we can’t trust in your abilities as an actor. There’s little margin for error. What’s wrong with this inmate, doc? Are you sure? I want this inmate quarantined immediately.”
“I can’t take a chance. Last time something like this happened, half the entire prison population got sick. He’s quarantined now. He’s contagious. One last thing don’t try any funny business. Any shenanigans, the deal is off. 2 parole officers will be assigned to you. Spivey. He’s a black man. You should like him. He should like you. Your other chaperone is Crudup. Quiet. As my father told me, it’s the quiet ones you have to watch. Spivey and Crudup. 2 of the best. Hand-picked by me.”
“If necessary, these men have been given a green light to shoot.”
