Hoop Dreams
Chad'z rating: **** (out of 4 = excellent)
1994, PG-13, 176 minutes [2 hours, 56 minutes]
[documentary]
Produced by Frederick Marx, Steve James, Peter Gilbert, directed by Steve James.
"Hoop Dreams" is a moving documentary about two poor black teenagers and their struggles to succeed despite how troublesome and oppressive their lives may be. It proves that sometimes reality can be even stranger and more brutal than fiction.
As the film opens, we meet two black teens living in the housing projects of Chicago. Arthur Agee and William Gates have just been given partial and full scholarships (respectively) to St. Joseph's High School, a private Catholic school way out in the suburbs. The immediate atmosphere plays like so many fictional dramatic films about life in the ghettos ("Menace II Society," "Juice"), but this is much more powerful in a shorter amount of time because it is real.
The families of the boys are portrayed in just the right manner; it is obvious they are poor but the film does not wallow in depravity. We're not meant to (or really allowed to) feel sorry for them, just the opposite in fact. We know Arthur and William each have a special talent that can and will take them places.
Freshman year at St. Joe's proves to be difficult for Arthur who only makes the Junior Varsity team, while William dominates the Varsity squad. We meet Coach Pingatore who would be straight out of the cliche book if this was a fictional movie; he's middle-aged, white, has a short temper and pushes his players to their breaking point. It is this element of internal drive that becomes the real focal point of the film.
Arthur and William both love the game, but since they have suddenly been upgraded to a higher education, they find the academic work difficult. They both seek help, but only William is able to pass and Arthur must withdraw from St. Joe's because his tuition assistance has been cut due to his grades. He then enrolls in the poor local public school and we see just how bad living conditions in his environment can be.
If the same story had been told in the form of a drama I'm not sure it would be believable. Arthur's father, who seems like a caring person, suddenly leaves the family after 20 years and is arrested on drug charges. Meanwhile, William injures his knee and cannot play basketball for a long time. Elements like these would be melodramatic anywhere else, but since this is real and these people now seem like old friends, it is suspenseful because we really care for them.
The game of basketball itself makes the film powerful. How many times in mainstream sports films have we seen underdog teams and/or athletes come from behind and beat the juggernauts? The title of the film is "Hoop Dreams" not "Hoop Reality," because they don't always win, but it is the boys' dreams that control their lives. The filmmakers carefully incorporate games and crucial moments, causing for suspense and excitement that works on a metaphysical level.
What makes the film so uplifting is the fact the boys never give up hope no matter how many bad things happen to them. Even though he does not do well academically, Arthur is content with his situation. William is offered full scholarships to top-ranked colleges, but if he does not get at least 18 on the ACT, he won't be able to attend any of them.
We do get to see what happens to them after they graduate from high school, but I'm not sure if it's relevant. On one hand, it is crucial to the ultimate outcomes of their lives and their dreams to make it to the NBA. But on the other hand, the film works as a powerful depiction without "resolving" anything.
"Hoop Dreams" is probably one of the most inspirational films I've ever seen. Just like the lives of its subjects, it debunks stereotypes and predictability, and proves the American Dream is still alive... even where you'd least expect to find it.
e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1997 Chad Polenz
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews