Black Men Can't Jump In Hollywood

Special guest Hayley Marie Norman (Hancock) joins to talk the new Taraji P. Henson film, Proud Mary, which got off to a disappointing start at the box office. We discuss the utter lack of black female action stars, the disrespect Hollywood has shown Taraji, the dilemma of supporting black actors in poorly reviewed films, and if this film helped the cause!

Special guest Zach Cherry (HBO's Crashing) joins as the guys discuss the new #1 film at the box office, Jumanji, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. There's plenty to discuss about this popcorn flick including the proven track record of The Rock as an action star, a "swirl", Nick Jonas's acting, and whether or not the absence of race in this movie helps the cause! JUMANJI!!!This week's episode is brought to you by Squarespace!

Jon is at the ballet and James is missing (RIP?) for this unprecedented episode. Jerah is joined by Camrus Johnson (There's ... Johnny!, #Fashionvictim, Luke Cage) to break down Will Smith's effort in Bright. Chance the Rapper didn't like what he saw, but how do Camrus and Jerah feel? Dear Hollywood, can anything save Will from another bust?

The boys review the Mudbound (2017). Find out if they can get on board with Dee Ree's work of historical imagination. Spoiler: they definitely cannot. Dear Hollywood- do better. 

The new Denzel film is out so we had to review Roman J. Israel, Esq. and talk about the award buzz surrounding Washington's performance. Listen as the boys discuss Denzel stepping outside his wheelhouse, Collin Ferrel low-key being great, the criminal justice system, and this film helps the cause.

Special guest Erica Hernandez (UCB) joins to talk about the 2004 film Spanglish starring Paz Vega, Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni. The guys get into deep discussions about whether or not the film was made for a white audience, did the decision to have Paz speak only in Spanish for most of the movie help or hurt it, was this a good representation of Latinas on screen and did this film help the cause?

The Holiday season has begun and we decided to get in the mood with last years ensemble film Almost Christmas, starring Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, past guest Romany Malco, and so much more! We talk about the new plethora of black holiday ensemble films, how great Mo'Nique is, our own holiday experiences and if this film helped the cause.This week's episode is brought to you by Warby Parker and Hello Fresh!

Special guest Maritza Montañez (UCB) joins as we discuss the latest Pixar film, Coco, set in Mexico and starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, among other Latinx voice actors. We fawn over the care and appreciation of the culture the movie borrows from, throw some shade at the Frozen short before the film, and discuss the overwhelming importance of representation on screen. So much to discuss!This week's episode is brought to you by Squarespace and SimpleContacts!

Get ready for a crossover episode!!! Black Men Can't Jump is teaming up with Blank Check podcast (Griffin Newman & David Sims) to review Kathryn Bigelow's latest film Detroit, starring John Boyega, Algee Smith, and Anthony Mackie. We discuss Kathryn's intentions behind the making of this film, whether or not this was the glorification of black bodies being brutalized, if a white director should helm a historical black story and if this film helped the cause!

Special guest X (UCB) joins the podcast as we review the 1997 cult classic Love Jones, starring Nia Long and Larenz Tate. We discuss the rarity of romantic films with black leads, the complicated nature of relationships, the often under appreciated careers of Nia & Larenz and if this film helped the cause!This week's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh!

This week the crew reviews the 2006 film "The Last King of Scotland" staring Forrest Whitaker and Kerry Washington. Find out if Hollywood can handle the Ugandan genocide with the sensitivity it warrants. And does this bio-pic help the cause? 

Happy Halloween! Tyler Perry's Madea character is back and we couldn't resist the urge to revisit Boo 2! A Madea Halloween starring Tyler Perry and a bunch of Instagram stars. We don't even pretend to like this one, which makes it a very fun episode to listen to even if you love Tyler Perry. We got tricked so you can enjoy this treat!

We review the indie darling turned hit Netflix show Dear White People starring Tessa Thompson and Tyler James Williams. We discuss how the film and TV show compare, the strength of the actors, the limited examples of black led college films, if this film helped the cause and so much more! This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh!

Special guest Lauren Adams (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) joins us to talk about the survival-thriller / romance film The Mountain Between Us, starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet. We discuss the questionable directing choices and departures from the novel, the overall sexiness of Idris Elba, the reality of an on screen SWIRL, and if this movie helped the cause.

In light of recents conversations about politics and sports, we review the 2013 Jackie Robinson film 42, starring Chadwick Boseman. We discuss how white filmmakers continue to tell the narratives of black figures, the importance of Jackie Robinson, the odd focus on Harrison Ford's character, and if this film helped the cause.

This week we review the 2002 "hood film" Paid In Full starring Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer and Cam'ron. We discuss Hollywood's under utilization of these magnificent actors, the lack of details in the retelling of this true, and if another film about black drug dealers helped the cause.

Special guest Natalie Paul (HBO's The Deuce) joins the podcast, as we review the 2012 Oscar darling Beasts of the Southern Wild. We discuss the phenomenon that is Quvenzhane Wallis, how the movie differs from the Hollywood norm in its depiction of poverty, and the humanizing of black people through this fantastical natural disaster film that may or may not help the cause!

With the threat of yet another hurricane, we take a look at the 2015 natural disaster film San Andreas starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. We analyze America's obsession with natural disaster films, the puzzling casting of Alexandra Daddario as The Rock's daughter, and if the first natural disaster blockbuster to star a black man truly helped the cause.

This controversial episode is set with a review of the 2010 "hood comedy" Lottery Ticket starring Shad Moss (Bow Wow), Brandon T. Jackson and Ice Cube. Sparks fly as we talk about the representation of people who live in the projects, the objectification of women in the black community, the untapped potential of Brandon T. Jackson, and if this film helped the cause.

Still in high school spirit, we review the 2005 sports film Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson. We compare the Hollywood changes made to this true story, whether or not the acting was up to par, why Channing Tatum was there and if the movie helped the cause!