THE REWATCHABLES · July 19, 2022
A 1994 drama / sports directed by Jeff Pollack, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
A rooftop game ends with Nutso’s bizarre death through a glass opening, which the hosts mock for its logic and staging.
About 32 minBirdie spots Kyle at a club, pitches Georgetown, and demonstrates his smarmy charisma.
About 24 minBernie Mac’s trash talk and insults in the pickup scene are treated as a comic peak.
About 24 minThe brotherly tension and the 'Nutso' talk are highlighted as emotionally and comedically strong.
About 24 minPac’s sideline intensity and Birdie’s reaction to his brother playing are praised.
About 16 minThe ending is discussed as wild but effective, with cops, a bullet, and an alley-oop all converging.
About 1:04WHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsYes; he calls it the best or at least his favorite.
Van LathanYes; he says it may be the best and is definitely his favorite.
Wosny LambreMixed; he loves it but compares it with Blue Chips and He Got Game.
Bill SimmonsPossibly yes, but he wants to think about it.
Van LathanYes, or at least in the top tier of 90s collections.
Wosny LambreYes, but notes other soundtracks complicate the ranking.
Bill SimmonsNot very, but he accepts it as movie logic.
Wosny LambreMore realistic than the 2013 Finals comeback.
Van LathanLeans into the chaos as plausible enough for a park game.
Van LathanBirdie is the best character and could carry his own series.
Bill SimmonsPac is the performance centerpiece and likely gets the win.
Wosny LambrePac is the acting highlight, but Birdie is hugely memorable.
Calls it a national treasure and argues for it as a favorite basketball movie ever.
Opening minutesSays it perfectly captured his high-school hoop life and the world he knew.
Opening minutesConnects strongly to its New York setting, golden-era hip-hop, and 90s character ecosystem.
Opening minutesMocks the opening roof scene as physically impossible and badly staged.
About 32 minCalls Birdie the best character and wants a spin-off for him.
About 16 minArgues Pac was an enormous screen presence and maybe the movie’s true star.
About 32 minTreats Pinkins as one of the film’s strongest performances and emotional anchors.
About 48 minTreats the soundtrack as a separate cultural expression, not just a supplement.
About 8 minFinds Bernie Mac’s trash talk and comic energy endlessly funny.
About 16 minSays the on-court basketball is surprisingly good for a movie of this type.
About 1:20Says the film nails the atmosphere of outdoor hoops and New York basketball culture.
About 48 minLikes the smarmy, secret-room club recruiting scene and Birdie’s control of the room.
About 24 minUses Blue Chips as a comparator and alternative for a basketball double feature.
About 1:20Strongly implies the soundtrack belongs in the top tier of 90s rap collections.
About 32 minThe movie is framed as a portrait of how basketball, especially New York streetball, defined a generation’s sense of self.
About 8 minThe film is praised for capturing hip-hop, fashion, and the pre-commercialized moment when rap and movies were merging.
About 8 minThey argue Pac’s acting future was as compelling as, or more compelling than, his music career.
About 32 minThe brothers’ broken relationship and the mother-son dynamic are treated as the movie’s emotional core.
About 16 minThe movie turns outdoor courts, tournaments, and urban basketball lore into near-legendary imagery.
About 8 minThe soundtrack won Soundtrack of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards.
About 32 minThe film made about $16.2 million on a $6.5 million budget.
About 32 minPac and Marlon Wayans shared a two-bedroom trailer on set.
About 40 minWayans said Pac smoked a lot of weed during production.
About 40 minThe film’s basketball footage was apparently shot during real tournament play.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceSpeedy Williams is identified as a streetball technical consultant.
About 1:12They say Tupac was originally going to play the Omar Epps role in Higher Learning but could not because he was in jail.
About 32 minUsed as one of the hosts’ top basketball-movie comparators.
Opening minutesMentioned as a classic but not as personally resonant for the hosts.
Opening minutesCompared as another 1994 basketball movie and a possible double feature partner.
About 8 minReferenced as another streetball movie and a comparison point for basketball culture.
About 8 minUsed to describe Wood Harris’s intensity and a later gangland performance lineage.
About 16 minCited as part of the later 1990s New York basketball wave.
About 1:20Mentioned as a favorite basketball book about Stephon Marbury and New York hoops.
About 1:20Used as a comparison for an iconic soundtrack that may eclipse its film.
About 32 minReferenced to explain Eric Nies’s 90s cultural visibility.
About 48 minUsed to describe Eric Nies’s MTV dance-show fame.
About 48 minReferenced repeatedly as the aspirational school for Kyle and as a culturally black basketball program.
About 24 minCited as a symbol of New York streetball prestige.
About 8 minMentioned as the label behind the soundtrack’s era and cultural power.
About 8 minReferenced as a landmark song and soundtrack centerpiece.
About 32 minCited as the soundtrack needle drop that thrilled them most.
About 32 minThe dead friend Nutso becomes a recurring punchline, including the phrase 'You hear that, nutso?'
About 24 minThe hosts repeatedly excuse or mock dated jokes and behavior as 'a different time.'
About 56 minThey imitate the pickup-game trash talk and the random unnamed player who yells it.
About 16 minThey joke about playing without a basketball, which becomes a weird but memorable motif.
About 56 minBirdie’s verbal abuse, especially 'pussy without the hair,' becomes a repeated laugh line.
About 24 min“They can't erase what we were, man.”About 24 min
“You hear that, nutso?”About 24 min
“You're a pussy without the hair.”About 24 min
“The soundtrack is a separate cultural expression.”About 8 min
“We used to be kings.”About 8 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Above The Rim, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Van LathanThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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