Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton fundamentally changed the game of basketball as one of the NBA’s first Black players. His spectacular skill on court matched a towering figure who waited years in segregated America for a professional shot. It’s borderline tragic that his titular biopic fails to capture the essence of a pivotal moment in sports history. Sweetwater ticks every box to his story like a Wikipedia summary. We get the important details and see the hideous racism he faced, but it’s delivered with a bland execution that isn’t indicative of an extraordinary man.
In 1949 New York City, Abe Saperstein (Kevin Pollak), owner and coach of the Harlem Globetrotters, arranges an exhibition game with the NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers. New York Knicks owner Ned Irish (Cary Elwes) and his coach, Joe Lapchick (Jeremy Piven), watch as the Lakers get pulverized. The Black Globetrotters were clearly more talented and innovative. Sweetwater Clifton (Everett Osborne) steals the show with athletic grace.
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The Globetrotters get on their rickety bus to play expedition games with upstate farm teams. They run out of gas but aren’t allowed to refill at a nearby station. The racist owner (Eric Roberts) makes it clear with his shotgun that Black people didn’t belong. The team gets the same disgusting treatment while trying to get hotel rooms. A magician with a monkey was allowed but “negroes” weren’t.
The Best Talent
Briarcliff Entertainment
Meanwhile, Joe implores Ned, who also owned Madison Square Garden, to secure Sweetwater’s contract. He was undoubtedly the world’s best player. Ned makes his plan known to the other owners with fierce resistance. NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff (Richard Dreyfuss) warns they shouldn’t vote on such a divisive issue. The “whites only” faction wins by a slim margin. But the matter isn’t settled. Ned notes that the bylaws do not stipulate a player’s color. Basketball, just like Jackie Robinson in baseball, must field the best talent.
Writer/director Martin Guigui (Paradise Cove, The Bronx Bull) spends an inordinate amount of time away from the protagonist. The wheeling and dealing off court is meant to show the stark inequality for Black people in America. Segregation’s ugly tentacles reached every corner. Abe paid the opposing white team a higher rate to lose. A Black man can get killed for trying to pump gas. Standing up to systemic oppression meant real danger. This point is made repeatedly and understood. What’s sorely missing is actual depth into Sweetwater’s character beyond the superficial. He’s depicted as mostly reactionary to events controlling his fate.
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The basketball scenes are uneven. The Globetrotters’ razzle dazzle theatrics outmatch the dull NBA games to a fault. This was meant to show a near laughable competitive disparity. It’s an overblown portrayal that makes Sweetwater’s professional debut seem tame in comparison. Guigui needed realism and creative camera work to make the games exciting. It’s disappointing that we don’t get more of Sweetwater’s dominating gameplay.
Sweetwater Lacks Energy
The film’s lack of energy puzzles. A good veteran ensemble cast and captivating true story never comes together as it should. It’s a shame, considering Sweetwater paved the way for titans to come. There’s no Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, or Michael Jordan without him.
Sweetwater is a production of Sunset Pictures and Reserve Entertainment. It will have a theatrical release on April 14th from Briarcliff Entertainment.
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