long, with a surplus of ideas, textures, tones and characters, and after 134 minutes it's clear Lee's problem with closure hasn't gone away." Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half-stars, and called it Lee's best film since Malcolm X. He was particularly encouraged by Lee's determination not to adhere to typical conventions. Both Ray Allen and Washington drew praise for their performances, with Roger Ebert writing that Allen "is that rarity, an athlete who can act," and Slate magazine writing that Washington's performance was "gorgeously underplayed". Bill Simmons' review for ESPN pointed out factual flaws in the story: "...coaches aren't allowed to discuss potential recruits until after the signing period. Come on, Spike. (And while we're at it, players aren't allowed to visit a college one week before the signing deadline; Jesus couldn't live alone with his sister without both of them being thrown in a foster home," and argued "there's NO WAY IN HELL that Jesus wouldn't have just turned pro if he was that good and that broke.)" Soundtrack The soundtrack for He Got Game was composed of numerous orchestral pieces by Aaron Copland with songs created by Public Enemy. It was released by Def Jam on April 21, 1998. Awards and nominations 1999 Acapulco Black Film Festival Best Actor — Denzel Washington (nominated) Best Director — Spike Lee (nominated) Best Screenplay — Spike Lee (nominated) Best Film (nominated) Best Soundtrack (nominated) 1999 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture — Denzel Washington (nominated) Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress — Zelda Harris (nominated) Outstanding Motion Picture (nominated) 1999 MTV Movie Awards MTV Movie Award Best Breakthrough Male Performance — Ray Allen (nominated) 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Sense of Direction — Spike Lee (nominated) References External links 1998 films 1990s sports drama films Films about interracial romance 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks films American basketball films American sports drama films African-American films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Spike Lee Films set in Brooklyn Films shot in Illinois Films shot in New York City Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in North Carolina Films shot in Virginia Hood films American prison films Films with screenplays by Spike Lee Touchstone Pictures films Uxoricide in fiction African-American drama films 1998 drama films Films about father–son relationships Films produced by Jon Kilik 1990s American films