MovieChat Forums > He Got Game (1998) Discussion > I would never forgive my father

I would never forgive my father

posted 12 years ago by toxicity_
11 replies | jump to latest

I would never forgive my father or anyone in the world if they killed my mother the same way Jake did. The dude pushed her hard against the kitchen counter because she was trying to get his angry hands of her son. She was protecting her son and the guy was just angry because his son didnt like to be roughed up on the court and lost his damn ball. That's *beep* and that is when i lost all interest in the movie. Spike Lee mis-directed that scene big time. Seriously, he was drunk and he didnt meant to push her that hard? (but he *beep* did) And now im suppose to feel for that guy ? No sympathy at all, you can make mistake in this world, killing my mother would be one i would never forgive you no matter what.

The music got irritating, almost unbearable when Jesus and Lala were breaking up. I dont know if Spike Lee wanted to lighten the mood due to the heaviness of the conversation they were having, but i felt like the music was unfitting.

The acting other than Denzel was very poorly executed. To my surprise, Ray Allen was not too bad for a non-actor and he actually did better than most of the cast. But the uncle, aunt, pimp and cousin were plain terrible.

I could have overlook the bad supporting cast, but the way the death of the mother was shown on screen was a huge deal breaker and made me lose all sympathy i had for Jake.

[–] dsims8 12 years ago

dude.

It was an accident. He had already paid the ultimate price by losing the woman that he loved, disconnection from his children, having to live with the guilt, and of course, going to prison.

In my thread that no one ever replied to "Young jesus was disrespectful", I explained my take on young Jesus's disobedience and disrespect towards his father playing a major role in to the situation being escalated to what it was. I don't care if his father may have taken it a little too far on the court, his son had no business cussing at him and ignoring him while he was living in his house.

[–] BigBadDolemite 11 years ago

You clearly missed the entire point of the movie

[–] blaque108 11 years ago

I would forgive him. Beside Denzel character didn't mean to do it. I think he just thought he knocked her out or something. Jesus just took it so damn hard, I mean he could have just forgave his dad, at least his daughter Mary believed him.

[–] Paradox93 11 years ago

I feel like she forgave him because she didn't actually see it. Jesus watched it happen...that *beep* *beep* with you for a while.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jaystarstar 11 years ago

There needed to be a scene (although it would have been melodramatic) in which Jake accepts responsibility in front of Jesus and begs forgiveness.

For most of the movie Jake seemed to have the attitude, "yeah I killed your mother, so what?"

It's not too surprising Jesus would have a pretty hard-ass attitude toward him.

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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

[–] al666940-3 11 years ago

While you're right in that, at least the impression I got from the movie was that Jake had already tried that but his son would just not hear him out (visit him, respond to his letters, taken his calls).

The daughter seems to have forgiven him already, but that's mostly because she was not pushed by Jake as Jesus was, and thus did not carry all that resentment already.

So for him at this point to do that would probably not be the best idea. I mean, not with his kid being as dead set against him. There's a time and place for apologies, and an apology given at the wrong time is a very bad idea.

A better example on film is the sequel to Once Were Warriors, where Jake reaches out to his estranged kids and ex-wife, and does not apologize until the end, and only to his older kid. Why because at this point it would be ill-received and ill-advised (reopen old wounds that took a long time to heal). He only apologizes to his son when he breaks down with him, and thus a really overdue apology can be given, and accepted.

While it is true that we are taught to forgive, it's also true that nobody should be pushed to forgive until said person is ready to do so.

This is of course all inferred and hinted at, so I could be wrong.

[–] redban (6788) 6 years ago

Disagree. The act occurred in the heat of the moment. He was in the process of disciplining his son. The wife intervened, he pushed her off, her head hit the stove. The way it went down, it could have happened to anyone.

[–] GotWood84 (384) 6 years ago

"The way it went down, it could have happened to anyone." Not even close to being an accurate statement.

[–] ThrillerTalk (1119) 5 years ago

Maybe not "anyone" but it is a realistic situation. Guy gets mad and he starts shoving people out of the way not knowing where said person they push could land. Could be up against a kitchen counter, an exposed pitch fork in a barn if they're in such a place, shoved into a any sort of dangerous object by accident. It's all possible.

[–] ThrillerTalk (1119) 5 years ago

He didn't decide he was going to push her against the Kitchen counter, he was just trying to get her out of his way. I would definitely forgive him. He did nothing but try to prove how sincere he was to his son throughout the movie but that son character was just a brat in general.

The son being a brat and not listening to the dad is part of the reason why his mom died because it wouldn't have happened if young Jesus would have just sat their as he was instructed. Jake overreacted but still, when it comes down to it no kid should act like that towards their father.