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Sweetwater

  • Rated PG 13
  • 1hr 54m

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Martin Guigui

Producer:

Josi W. Konski, Tim Moore, Darren Moorman

Release Date:

Apr 14, 2023

Runtime:

1hr 54m

Synopsis

Hall of Famer Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton makes history as the first African American to sign an NBA contract, forever changing how the game of basketball is played.

Cast

  • Everett Osborne
  • Cary Elwes
  • Jeremy Piven
  • Kevin Pollak
  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • Jim Caviezel
  • Emmaline
  • Eric Roberts
  • Ernest Harden Jr.
  • Robert Ri'chard

Letterboxd User Reviews

2.7
1.6K
1.0K
208
RATINGS 2 FANS
2.7
  • Apr 16, 2023

    "The guy is the future of the NBA" After riding high on last week’s AIR, I went into Sweetwater completely jazzed and hoping to see something inspiring and magical. But what should have been a slam dunk turned out to be a spirit deflating airball of defeat. Good…

    47 Likes
    📀 Cammmalot 📀
    📀 Cammmalot 📀
    Apr 13, 2023

    This movie was about the first black man nba star. I was curious to see how the subject matter was going to be explored in interesting ways. But it was directed by a white guy and it really shows. It really plays the white savior card so badly. I feel like cinema had…

    48 Likes
    🏳️‍⚧️💕Belle Forger💕🏳️‍⚧️
    🏳️‍⚧️💕Belle Forger💕🏳️‍⚧️
    Jun 7, 2025

    Are the Harlem Globetrotters racist 🤔? Story of the player who broke the colour barrier in basketball.   Footage of white people playing basketball prior to Sweetwater’s inclusion shows why inclusion became acceptable 😆. First two acts were interesting, but third act…

    46 Likes
    Dave Taylor
    Dave Taylor
  • May 16, 2025

    KNICKS ARE GOING TO THE ECF FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS 💙🧡 PARTY LIKE IT'S Y2K 🎉🥳🎊

    28 Likes
    Ziglet_mir
    Ziglet_mir
    Apr 14, 2023

    The forces who made this magical negro biopic about pioneer basketball player Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (Everett Osborne) were well-intentioned, but the film is clearly wretched. "Sweetwater" begins with a hoops beat writer (Jim Caviezel) stepping into a yellow taxicab in…

    29 Likes
    Robert Daniels
    Robert Daniels
    Apr 27, 2023

    This felt like a very white movie about racism. Seeing what the director/writer looks like was incredibly unsurprising. Starts off with the cardinal sin of biopics: having an older version of our protagonist meet a stranger and say “let me tell you all about my…

    18 Likes
    Tyler Whitmore
    Tyler Whitmore
  •
    May 12, 2023

    I wouldn’t want to know how much it cost that guy to listen to that story in a cab for 2 hours.

    20 Likes
    gregs1999
    gregs1999
    Apr 18, 2023

    Everett Osborne definitely was perfect for the role of Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton. But the rest was like a white self-congratulatory pat on the back. Like the whole scene between Richard Dreyfuss and Cary Elwes about how THEY are changing basketball. It felt very soap…

    17 Likes
    Tyann Smith
    Tyann Smith
    May 28, 2023

    I guess I was a fool to expect this would be good since it was directed by the same guy who directed the movie 9/11.  2023 RANKED 

    17 Likes
    Jake Alda Coffey
    Jake Alda Coffey
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

92%
Community 176
❤️ LOVE
36%
👍 LIKE
56%
😐 MEH
0%
👎 DISLIKE
8%
Top Reviews
  • Adrenaline
    Adrenaline liked
    Sweetwater

    An inspiring basketball story with Jeremy Piven was all I knew going in. It touched on many issues from the time period, kept me entertained, and told the exceptional story of trailblazer. Great movie.

    3Y
    Jen
    Jen loved
    Sweetwater

    I have to admit I am not up to date on my basketball history but I really enjoyed this movie. The acting was great, the story was crazy, and it really hits you emotionally. Great watch!

    2Y
    Sean
    Sean loved
    Sweetwater

    This is a movie about the Harlem Globetrotters. It’s about a player, who changed the game forever. My dad don’t like basketball, but he said he loves this movie.

    3Y
  • Miguel Contreras
    Miguel Contreras liked
    Sweetwater

    8.5/10

    2Y
    Kerollos
    Kerollos disliked
    Sweetwater

    .

    7M
View More Popular Sweetwater Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

4.7
13
1
0
1
0
POPULAR TAGS
#truestory
#familyfriendly
#great
#inspiring
#mustsee
#greatcast

Reviews

  • KF
    Kyle Finlyson
    #datenight
    #mustsee
    #truestory

    Great and inspiring story of breaking barriers.

    KB
    Kevin Beckwith
    #mustsee
    #truestory

    Great movie

    VP
    vivian perdue
  • DZ
    Diana Zuluaga
    CS
    Cindy Studebaker
    DS
    David Sanchez
  • FF
    Franco Fusaro
    #cliché
    #justokay
    #predictable
    CT
    C Dee Tave
    #inspiring
    #greatcast
    #great
    ZT
    Zoe Telford
    #great
Read all 15 customer reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sweetwater (2023) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG-13, meaning that some material may be considered inappropriate for children under 13.
How long is Sweetwater (2023)?
The movie is 1hr 54min long.
What's Sweetwater (2023) about?
Hall of Famer Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton makes history as the first African American to sign an NBA contract, forever changing how the game of basketball is played.
Who's the cast of Sweetwater (2023)?
  • Everett Osborne as Sweetwater
  • Cary Elwes as Ned Irish
  • Jeremy Piven as Joe Lapchick
  • Kevin Pollak as Abe Saperstein
  • Richard Dreyfuss as Maurice Podoloff
  • Jim Caviezel as Sports Writer
  • Emmaline as Jeanne Staples
  • Eric Roberts as Judd
  • Ernest Harden Jr. as Coach Will Robinson
  • Robert Ri'chard as Pop
Who's the director behind Sweetwater (2023)?
Martin Guigui directed Sweetwater (2023).
Who produced Sweetwater (2023)?
Josi W. Konski, Tim Moore and Darren Moorman produced Sweetwater (2023).