Jack Blackjack Ryan
“Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story” is a slow motion train wreck about a slow-motion train wreck of a basketballer.
- Spoilers for 'Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story' 'Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan story' chugs at a rather slow pace. However, based on the story of a basketball legend who almost made it to the NBA, the film does have its moments. Greg Finley plays the streetball GOAT Jackie Ryan — A man tipped for greatness in the 90s.
- Blackjack Jack Ryan is the second athlete on my 'Losers Documentary Series.' Ryan and his story was one of eight stories featured on Netflix's sports documentary Losers. Ryan is a streetball player from New York. Blackjack's exploits started in high school, where, as a senior, he averaged 26 points per game.
- Jack 'Blackjack' Ryan, Brooklyn, NY. 1,336 likes 4 talking about this. Jack Ryan 'The HoopWizard' is a basketball entertainer that is available for Bar Mitzvah's, Bday parties, School Assemblies.
That doesn’t mean that this story of a Brooklyn playground “legend” who never got out of his own way when it came to realizing his hoops potential isn’t interesting, here and there. There’s a decent performance or two, and a time-honored “redemption via sport” formula that has, on occasion, worked.
But as our lurching lead lumbers through middling on-court action, as we grimace at veteran heavy Robert Davi’s version of an Irish American priest, with every “Never saw THAT coming” blast of melodrama, “Blackjack” rolls craps.
Greg Finley, a character actor since childhood (“The Secret Life of an American Teenager”), seems awfully earthbound to be a basketball prodigy approaching his late 20s expiration date. He’s a burly presence on the court, and when guys like sportswriter Peter Vescey (Geoffrey Cantor) describe the “most perfect jump shot you ever saw,” we aren’t fooled. We’re practically looking at a middle school set shot.
“White men can’t jump” indeed.
Jackie grew up in a big, racist New York Irish family, headed by Big Jack (David Arquette), a short tempered construction worker who disdains any sport that isn’t football. Basketball? “Monkeyball” he calls it. His son is destined to “grind it out just like the rest of us.”
We don’t see the kid’s high school hoops skills that New York media hyped into a “white Michael Jordan” label, and eventually eulogized as “one of the biggest wastes of talent in the history of basketball.” Antonio Macia’s script narrows its focus to what amounts to Jackie’s last best shot, the weeks before and after a tryout — at 28 with the (then) New Jersey Nets.
Jack Ryan is an American streetball player from Brooklyn, New York. citation needed Ryan's basketball exploits began at John Jay High School, where, as a senior, he averaged 26 ppg. Ryan later took his game to East 5th St. Park in Brooklyn, where he mastered the tricks and shots he became well known for.
Jackie drinks too much, smokes too much, cusses too much, has too many tattoos and horses around with his disreputable pal and co-worker Marty (James Madio, whose career dates back to “Blossom” and “Hook”). Can Jackie clean up his act long enough to impress Rick Carlisle and the Nets?
The return of old girlfriend Jennie (Ashley Greene of the “Twilight” saga) motivates him. She played in the day, too. Can she get him into NBA shape? She can’t even get him to stop talking about his NBA signing as a done deal.
“Floor seats, FLOOR seats” he promises and/or threatens everybody who hears about his dream. Dude can’t stop smoking and partying, and is so irresponsible he can’t even get a credit card, but OK. Sure.
We know that didn’t happen, so the only mystery here is how close he got and how good he might have been. Actor turned director Danny Abeckaser (“First We Take Brooklyn”) is painted into a corner, a leading man lacking the charisma to make the off-the-court scenes pop, and who plays the game — at 28 — the way Jackie plays it now, like a sharp-shooting fiftysomething.
Sports junkie Michael Rapaport plays a Nets assistant coach (unbilled). But Arquette, Greene and Moise Morancy, playing a neighborhood rival who made it to the NBA give the most interesting performances, with Morancy saying out loud what any basketball savvy viewer must think.
Jackie’s hype and endless “second chances?” They’re ” because you’re white.” Having worked at a newspaper where J.J. Reddick got more ink than everybody else on the Magic put together when he played here, I can totally see that.
That would have been an interesting story thread to follow, as we’re treated to a montage of Ryan’s NYC media hype in the film’s opening credits. What we get instead is a stumbling story about a more obnoxious “Rudy” we don’t like enough to root for, and who never shows us the game that all the fuss is about.
MPAA Rating: unrated, much profanity
Cast: Greg Finley, Ashley Greene, James Madio, Geoffrey Cantor, Moise Morancy, Michael Rapaport, Robert Davi and David Arquette.
Jack Ryan Blackjack Net Worth
Credits: Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser, script by Antonio Macia. A Gravitas Ventures release.
Running time: 1:38
Review by James Lindorf
Jackie “Blackjack” Ryan is a legend on the basketball courts of New York City. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jakie rose to fame in high school, earning him praise as the white Michael Jordan. With fame comes expectations, expectations that resulted in Jackie being considered one of the biggest wastes of talent in basketball history. Director Danny A. Abeckaser and writer Antonio Macia focused their film on Jackie’s life’s lowest point. Jackie is single, his best friend is a criminal with a death wish, and he has finally resigned himself to a lifetime of working construction just like his grandfather, father, and brother instead of one playing basketball. Sportswriter Peter Vescey will give Jackie his last best shot by getting him a tryout with the New Jersey Nets. Jackie’s chance at a comeback starts October 30th with the release of “Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story” in a limited number of theaters and On Demand.
Jack Blackjack Ryan
Generally, I have a pretty easy time deciding if a film is recommendable or not. There are a few instances where something is good but won’t appeal to a large market. Others where I have to decide if something is so bad it could be entertaining. That is where things tend to get tricky. Blackjack is too good to be considered bad but is it good enough to recommend is the question. There are a lot of things working in the movie’s favor. People love sports movies in general; we also love redemption stories meaning Abeckaser and Macia are off to a good start. There are also a few good performances from the supporting cast that buoy the movie.
Jack Black Jack Ryan Basketball
The most significant weights dragging the movie down are its cinematography and its star. Overall, the film looks just fine, but the action scenes have dynamic elements. The basketball games look more like footage of an over 40 YMCA rec league than a group of NBA hopefuls fighting to make it in the country’s most exclusive sporting league. Part of the problem could be that lead actor Greg Finley doesn’t have the basketball skills required to give these scenes more energy, but the way it was filmed did him no favors. With the basketball scenes lacking luster, it comes down to the dramatic elements where Finely is fine. He doesn’t hurt the movie, but he doesn’t lift it either. Jackie is an unlikeable character for nearly the entire film; he is rude, selfish, entitled, and a cheater. Jackie does grow some, but Bill Murray made better progress with his baby steps.
The standouts of the movie are David Arquette as Big Jack, Jackie’s caustic and racist father. He may not entirely escape into a character like the elite level actors. Still, I love the turn Arquette is making in his career by moving on from being the goofy lead/sidekick to tackling much darker and complex roles. Will he ever get to do it on the scale he used to work at is unknown, but he should draw people to his work more than ever before. The other standout was Ashley Greene, best known for the Twilight series, who plays Jennie, Jackie’s former, current and then former again, girlfriend. Greene sells her role completely owning every scene, no matter if it is time for her to be playful, supportive, or combative; she steals the scene from Finely every time.
Jack Blackjack Ryan
When weighing everything, the scales tip slightly in favor of recommending “Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story.” Maybe next time out, Abeckaser and Macia will fully commit to choosing a lead that can handle all parts of their movie. If they do, they have the ability to make a hit.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Cast: Greg Finley, Ashley Greene, James Madio, Geoffrey Cantor, Moise Morancy, Michael Rapaport, Robert Davi and David Arquette.
Director: Danny A. Abeckaser
Producer: Danny A. Abeckaser, Vince P. Maggio
Writer: Antonio Macia
Runtime: 1h 38m
Production Co: 2B Films
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