Sweetwater
Trailblazing basketball player Nathaniel ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton scores a biopic with a winning percentage.
A spoonful of sugar: Everett Osborne. (Image courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)
In 1949, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the Harlem Globetrotters defeated the NBA world champions, the Minneapolis Lakers, 49 to 45. The anticipated rematch marked the second consecutive year that the Trotters would claim a victory against the ‘world champions’. Despite their triumph, there was one arena that the Globetrotters were prevented from entering – the National Basketball League itself. That seems hard to fathom today, given that 73% of NBA players in 2021 were black, according to author Richard Lapchick (who is depicted in the film, aged 5). It’s certainly a testament to players such as Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton, who paved the way for diversity and inclusion in the NBA. Written and directed by Martin Guigui, Sweetwater is the bittersweet story of a baller legend.
It’s taken the filmmaker nearly 28 years to bring Clifton’s story to cinemas. Guigui reportedly got the idea in a parking lot in 1995, where he was listening to a basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. When a radio announcer pointed out that a substitute was the only white player on the court, Guigui set out to discover who was the first black player. Though the history books state that player was Earl Lloyd, as it turns out, there’s more to the story. Detailing an important chapter in sport’s history, Sweetwater is a well-made biopic that forsakes the tiresome cradle-to-grave tradition in favour of focusing on the moments that matter.
Blocked from North America’s professional league, the Trotters travel gig to gig in a broken-down bus driven by owner-manager-coach Abe Saperstein (Kevin Pollak). When New York Knicks coach Joe Lapchick (Jeremy Piven) and executive Ned Irish (Cary Elwes) show an interest in recruiting Sweetwater (Everett Osborne), NBA President Maurice Podoloff (Richard Dreyfuss) must help unite the league in order for the men to make history.
As with any entry in the genre, there’s a level of sugarcoating in telling the tale, but what emerges is a spectator’s treat. Everett Osborne shines in his first major screen appearance. Capturing Clifton’s vibrant style of play, Osborne finds freedom on the court and holds his own with a team of seasoned talent, including Kevin Pollak, Jeremy Piven, Cary Elwes, Richard Dreyfuss, and Jim Caviezel. Further rounding out the ensemble is the electrifying newcomer Emmaline, who thrills as nightclub singer Jeanne Staples. The story of breaking the NBA’s colour barrier swings one too many times into an all-white boardroom, taking precious screen time away from Sweetwater himself. And though the final game doesn’t quite have the swell of a traditional underdog sports movie, this gentle crowd pleaser tallies more wins than losses. It deserves a spot on the list of great sports films.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Everett Osborne, Cary Elwes, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Pollak, Richard Dreyfuss, Jim Caviezel, Emmaline, Eric Roberts, Ernest Harden Jr., Robert Ri'chard, Kevin Daley, Deandre Turner.
Dir Martin Guigui, Pro Josi W. Konski, Screenplay Martin Guigui, Ph Massimo Zeri, Pro Des Jack G. Taylor Jr., Ed Eric Potter, Music Jeff Cardoni, Costumes Tiffany Hasbourne.
Reserve Entertainment/Sunset Pictures/Pasaca Entertainment-Briarcliff Entertainment.
118 mins. USA. 2023. US Rel: 14 April 2023. Cert. PG-13.
