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What: “He Got Game”

Price: Available to rent.

If you miss the NBA, rent this movie. Directed by Spike Lee, this is a father-son movie disguised as a basketball docudrama.

“He Got Game” stars Denzel Washington as Jake, who is in prison for killing his wife (an event that is much more complicated than it seems at first). Jake’s son, Jesus (played by Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks), is the top prospect in the nation and has college coaches drooling over the chance to get him at their school.

The governor visits Jake in prison and makes him an offer he can’t refuse. He’ll release Jake for a week, and if he can talk his son into signing a letter of intent to attend Big State University, the governor will reduce Jake’s sentence.

However, Jesus, still upset over the death of his mother, doesn’t want to see his father, and the film details Jake’s attempt to break through to his son.

It also details the levels colleges will stoop to in order to get Jesus’ attention. Recruiting offers arrive daily by the dozens, and one recruiting trip, featuring a cameo by the Lakers’ Rick Fox, shows that these schools will offer Jesus anything, and I mean anything, to get him. There is also a subplot that detracts from the movie involving Jake and a prostitute (Milla Jovovich) he befriends.

But the strength of this movie lies in the relationship between Jesus and Jake, and the strength of Washington and Allen’s performances shines during a scene in which Jake explains to his son that he wasn’t named with any Biblical reference in mind.

While many filmmakers would end a movie like this with “The Big Game,” Lee doesn’t. He uses a strange metaphorical ending that leaves many people scratching their heads, but which, when you think about it, sums up the movie well. Lee is at the top of his game here.

Be aware: “He Got Game” is rated R, and it earns that rating. It is not a movie for children.