User reviews

Sweetwater showcases a unique blend of well-known actors, captivating locations, and meticulously crafted vehicles and props. While the production elements were undoubtedly impressive, my overall experience was marred by underwhelming acting, uninspiring cinematography, and a narrative that felt forced, often relying on guilt-tripping. More on that later.

Let's start with the positives. The film's production team spared no expense in assembling a stellar cast of accomplished actors. Their presence undoubtedly lent credibility to the project and provided a glimmer of hope for an engaging story. Additionally, the attention to detail regarding locations, vehicles, and props was commendable. Each scene felt authentic and immersive, transporting the audience to the United States in the early 50's.

However, despite these strengths, Sweetwater ultimately falls short in some critical areas. The acting performances, unfortunately, failed to live up to the talent of the cast. While they are capable actors in their own right, their delivery often felt lacking, lacking the depth and nuance required to bring their characters to life. This ultimately weakened the emotional impact of the story and left me feeling detached from the film's central conflicts.

Furthermore, the cinematography left much to be desired. The lackluster camera work and uninspired shot composition left me yearning for more visually striking scenes that could have heightened the overall viewing experience.

Another disappointment was the sound design and mix, which offered nothing particularly new or innovative. While the sound elements were technically proficient, they failed to create a memorable auditory experience. It would have been advantageous for the film to take more risks and experiment with soundscapes that could have enhanced the tension and immersion within the story.

Lastly, the narrative of Sweetwater felt overtly reliant on guilt-tripping white men, often presenting them as one-dimensional figures whose sole purpose was to shoulder the blame for historical injustices. While it's important to acknowledge and address societal issues, the film's approach felt heavy-handed and forced, detracting from the overall storytelling and character development.

I am not defending any of the actions that occurred during this time. I despise each and every form of racism. I also understand that this film could not make its point without showcasing the idiotic hierarchy of the color of one's skin, but it felt like a showcase of the moral superiority of the writers.

In conclusion, Sweetwater had promising elements, such as a star-studded cast, impressive production values, and attention to detail in creating the 50's American ambiance. However, weak acting performances, lackluster cinematography, unremarkable sound design, and a narrative that leaned heavily on guilt-tripping white people held it back from reaching its full potential. While the film may still find an audience among fans of basketball history, it ultimately left me wanting more in terms of execution and storytelling prowess.

A sports writer climbs into a Chicago taxi cab gushing about Michael Jordan. Little does he know that the driver is groundbreaking negro basketball player Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (Everett Osborne). In 1949, Nat and his Harlem Globetrotters teammates beat the all-white NBA champs, The Minneapolis Lakers. They are led by team owner and coach Abe Saperstein (Kevin Pollak). New York Knickerbockers coach Joe Lapchick (Jeremy Piven) is desperate to get Nat on his team and break the color barrier. He convinces his boss Ned Irish (Cary Elwes).

This needs a singular villain character. Sure, the villain is general racism which comes up everywhere and from all directions. The movie needs one character to encapsulate all that evil. It has elements of a good biopic, but it doesn't have the bite. It introduces the style of play argument a little too late. For me, it came out of nowhere although I guess there is that discussion in the taxi cab. It needs that childhood memory a lot sooner. It's a great story that needs to be told. Abe is a complicated personality in the story of basketball and I'm glad that the movie didn't make him too one-sided. It is still a simplistic portrayal. All in all, I love the true history aspect. The movie is pretty ok. It's an underdog sports biopic.

"Sweetwater" is based on the true events of Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, basically the first African American player to join the NBA. It is written and directed by Martin Guigui. This movie has a lot of potential for a great story, unfortunately, the film plants the seeds for a compelling narrative that it never fully harvests.

This movie has some serious pacing problems. It is about Nat Clifton joining the NBA, but we don't see an NBA game played until the 90-minute mark of a 118-minute movie. Every scene feels like it is milking it for every second of emotional impact that it could possibly have. The music swells, the camera swings, as if something of great cultural importance is being said. This happens so often it makes the audience numb to the experience. Each scene seems to last twice as long as it needs. It comes across very melodramatic at times, which can almost be unintentionally funny.

Talented actors like Jim Cavizel and Richard Dreyfuss likely were able to film all their scenes in one day. Cary Elwes does a fine job as always. Despite the fact that he is doing a cartoon voice, at least Elwes is good at doing voices.

The examples of racism throughout the movie feel over the top. As SNL would say it, the characters are "Cartoonish Super Racist". It makes it feel like a problem that is disconnected from the harsh reality that it is. People can't relate to these characters, seeing themselves in their decisions and saying to themselves, "I should avoid making those same mistakes."

The basketball action isn't shot in a very exciting manner. Sometimes basketball shots are out of frame, there a lot of cuts that make it hard to follow what's going on.

There are a lot of scenes that go nowhere. This is a movie that could have greatly benefited from a montage. Something to give the story some flow and energy.

With all those complaints out of the way, at the movie's core is a sweet and inspirational story. All the actors put in good performances, the music is nice and it's an interesting part of NBA history. It takes a good shot, but the basket does not go in.

Most sports fans know the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. And most NBA fans know the story behind AIR - certainly Bulls and Michael Jordan fans of a certain age do. But I did NOT know the story about Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, and neither did my 87-yr. Old dad who played against the Globetrotters in his younger years.

Sweets' break into the NBA happened a mere 2-3 years after Jackie R.'s into MLB. Jackie's style of play didn't change baseball; Sweets' style of play definitely changed NBA basketball!

Not sure why there are no trailers or ads for this movie filling up our movie and TV screens, but it is an entertaining movie with a good cast, too.

*Highly recommend*

Sweetwater was a very interesting film as it had moments of depth and heart. Then about 60% of the film there was a lot of cheesy moments that pretty much derail the film. The story is a real life one but still in a the lense of a movie is really hollow and predictable. The only thing I did not see coming was how the film ended because I had never followed the real life story before about Sweetwater. When you watch this movie you would be asking yourself why wasn't this movie just released on lifetime instead of through Hulu. Still there were moments that I really enjoyed even though there is a major problem with the casting here. Sweetwater gets a middle of the road 5 stars out of 10.

Sweetwater is a hidden gem getting new life. It was released April 14, 2023 and only grossed $541,633. It's a real shame because it deserved more than that. It has all the heart and quality star actors as "Field of Dreams". Angel Studios is giving it a well deserved second chance on their streaming platform. Newcomer Everett Osborne is the soul of this biopic of Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton who was the first black man to play professional basketball in the NBA. Michael Jordan has been quoted as saying "there would be no Michael Jordan without Sweetwater". If you like biographical stories, sport themes, and historical dramas; this movie should be right up your alley. The other, more seasoned actors, are Cary Elwes, Jeremy Piven, Richard Dreyfus's, and Kevin Pollak. Not sure why it didn't get more notice by a wider audience on its first release. Maybe it's because a couple of the actors have lost favor in Hollywood for alleged transgressions, maybe it's because people are watching their spending as inflation is sweeping the nation the last 4 years and people are content to forgo the theater experience for comfort in their own home theater, or maybe they didn't have enough money for a decent ad campaign and people just didn't know it existed. I sure didn't. I hope people give it a chance. It has received consistently positive reviews from those who have watched it, so we know it isn't due to a quality issue.

Beautiful story and it deserves to have more of a light shown on it. I think it was a rather good biopic, but obv did not have the same feel as something made purely for entertainment. I thought the characters were lovable and real, but also feel that more of the story could have been fleshed out to truly get to know the characters and the complexity of what they went through. It gives the feel of being a movie that was specifically made to be appropriate for all ages, which I can appreciate as well, and perhaps lends to the overview nature of the plot.

Overall, enjoyable and I'd recommend watching it with people so that you can share in the life of such an incredible man and the impact that he made through his life.

I couldn't believe I didn't know about this story. I have been avid basketball fan for 40 years. It's a great story told very well. I liked how the film was shot and kudos to cinematographer. You will be entertained and better for knowing this story. Swear really was an Iconoclast and has gotten very little play for his play, if you will. I hope this kovie brings his feats, play and wisdom to the fore front. The film really keeps you entertained with some drama and lighthearted moments. I have seen other Martin guigui. The director of the movie, other films and he has a unique style of developing a story. You won't be disappointed.

I attended a premier for this movie in Arizona for the White Mountain Film Festival without any idea of what the film was about.

I not only find the movie engaging, but heartwarming as well. Looking at reviews by the "expert critics" I can understand why Hollywood has lost its way. This movie is rooted in truth, not social justice and all of the actors involved (and those who excluded themselves as to not confuse the story) have done a phenomenal job.

This is a movie I will show my children, as a way to understand where we have been and where we should be going. It's not about color, it's about passion and how we should all strive to work together to make things better, and more enjoyable in life.

Truly beautifully made film, a true story of a great sportsmanship and devoted people, who practically changed the world in their own way. This film is very inspiring and masterfully shot.

The sets, the costumes, cinematography, and the choice of cast is excellent - starting from the lead character and all the wonderful star actors we do not see too often in new movies.

One of theist important aspects in film, at least for me is the score. Practically every other scene has a theme, beautiful music in the background which makes the scenes more intense.

I definitely would recommend to watch it!!