Hoop Dreams
3/4
Rated PG-13 for Drug Content and Some Strong Language
James Berardinelli said in his review of "American Movie," a documentary about a filmmaker trying to make a movie, "to succeed in the independent film industry, a director must possess three critical attributes: luck, drive and talent. The absence of any one of those characteristics can be fatal." I think that's true of any industry with a lot of demand and few opportunities. Berardinelli was describing Hollywood, but it applies to other areas of life, from being President of the United States to the next Mark Zuckerberg. Or an NBA star.
Actually, Berardinelli simplified things for the purposes of making his point, and "Hoop Dreams" proves just how much. Becoming a "star" of sorts in some respect takes those things that he listed, but it also takes incredible drive and sacrifice. It's also a situation where if one small thing doesn't line up in your favor, everything you worked for can come crashing down in an instant.
The film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids living in inner-city Chicago. Both of them are have dreams of playing in the NBA, and have enough talent that a scout recruits them both to play for St. Joseph's Academy, a private school with a killer program and reputation. Fate, as it turns out, has different ideas for both of them.
The best thing about the film is that it pays attention to the forces that shape William and Arthur's lives. They are governed by forces both in and out of their control. For example, only one of them ends up playing for St. Joseph's, while the other has to go to a local school. And yet, some of what decides their future rests on their shoulders (one has a scholarship to a good school, but needs to get his ACT scores up before it can be offered).
The contrast between the two boys is refreshing because it is so realistic. One's life seems to be perfect, while the other seems to be destined for failure. But then their fortunes switch. And switch back. And switch part way. The filmmakers do not attempt to manipulate the footage into a certain mold. They simply let each boy's life unfold.
"Hoop Dreams" was originally going to be a 30 minute short for PBS that focused on one playground and its players. That is, until the filmmakers realized what they had on their hands. It soon turned into an 8 year long project that included about 250 hours of footage that was edited down to a hair under three hours. The wealth and verisimilitude of the material is astonishing, and is directed in such a way that it seems cinematic. This is a documentary that doesn't seem like a documentary.
Famous film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert wildly praised this film, with both of them calling it the best film of 1994. Ebert put it on his "Great Movies" list and said it was the best film of the 1990's. Their outrage over how it (and "Crumb") was snubbed out of a Best Documentary nomination led to change in Academy rules. I wish I could praise it as much as they did, but I can't. It's a good movie to be sure, but not great.
The main problem is it's length. I'm not known to be a stickler about a movie's running time. It's just not something I usually notice. But here, I did, and for all the wrong reasons. "Hoop Dreams" simply runs on for about 20 minutes too long, and there were definitely times when I looked at how much time was left. It limits the power of the material to a fraction of what it could be.
Nevertheless, this is a movie that is worth seeing.
Rated PG-13 for Drug Content and Some Strong Language
James Berardinelli said in his review of "American Movie," a documentary about a filmmaker trying to make a movie, "to succeed in the independent film industry, a director must possess three critical attributes: luck, drive and talent. The absence of any one of those characteristics can be fatal." I think that's true of any industry with a lot of demand and few opportunities. Berardinelli was describing Hollywood, but it applies to other areas of life, from being President of the United States to the next Mark Zuckerberg. Or an NBA star.
Actually, Berardinelli simplified things for the purposes of making his point, and "Hoop Dreams" proves just how much. Becoming a "star" of sorts in some respect takes those things that he listed, but it also takes incredible drive and sacrifice. It's also a situation where if one small thing doesn't line up in your favor, everything you worked for can come crashing down in an instant.
The film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids living in inner-city Chicago. Both of them are have dreams of playing in the NBA, and have enough talent that a scout recruits them both to play for St. Joseph's Academy, a private school with a killer program and reputation. Fate, as it turns out, has different ideas for both of them.
The best thing about the film is that it pays attention to the forces that shape William and Arthur's lives. They are governed by forces both in and out of their control. For example, only one of them ends up playing for St. Joseph's, while the other has to go to a local school. And yet, some of what decides their future rests on their shoulders (one has a scholarship to a good school, but needs to get his ACT scores up before it can be offered).
The contrast between the two boys is refreshing because it is so realistic. One's life seems to be perfect, while the other seems to be destined for failure. But then their fortunes switch. And switch back. And switch part way. The filmmakers do not attempt to manipulate the footage into a certain mold. They simply let each boy's life unfold.
"Hoop Dreams" was originally going to be a 30 minute short for PBS that focused on one playground and its players. That is, until the filmmakers realized what they had on their hands. It soon turned into an 8 year long project that included about 250 hours of footage that was edited down to a hair under three hours. The wealth and verisimilitude of the material is astonishing, and is directed in such a way that it seems cinematic. This is a documentary that doesn't seem like a documentary.
Famous film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert wildly praised this film, with both of them calling it the best film of 1994. Ebert put it on his "Great Movies" list and said it was the best film of the 1990's. Their outrage over how it (and "Crumb") was snubbed out of a Best Documentary nomination led to change in Academy rules. I wish I could praise it as much as they did, but I can't. It's a good movie to be sure, but not great.
The main problem is it's length. I'm not known to be a stickler about a movie's running time. It's just not something I usually notice. But here, I did, and for all the wrong reasons. "Hoop Dreams" simply runs on for about 20 minutes too long, and there were definitely times when I looked at how much time was left. It limits the power of the material to a fraction of what it could be.
Nevertheless, this is a movie that is worth seeing.
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