Hoop Dreams (1994)

Sadly Over-hyped

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A really good Documentary about two high school students becoming Professional Basketball Players. Its shot on a beta max camera but, Its the 90's you can't complain about it and there is a charm with it as well. The two high school students are likable and i fell for them when you see there success and failures in life also, there parents are Likable as well. I'm not to crazy about sports but, i did remember playing Basketball , i didn't play for any teams, i play it as a hobby and i remember being good at. OK getting off topic right there what i was saying is i'm not to crazy about sports but, the story really kept me invested and i care what was going on. my minor complains are that the film gets a little to long but, i can handle it and that i really think it would have been nice to see the two high school students name William and Arthur meet each other in the documentary which you don't see them come face to face in the documentary but, that's just a minor complain. Overall i Highly Highly Recommend seeing this documentary.

I strongly believe that the documentary, Hoop Dreams, was very effective in showing its point, while following the lives of two high school basketball players. It was excellent due to the great interviews, and effective cross cutting between both stories. There was great pacing between the shots and each character was equally as important. But aside from the editing, the content of the film was very eye opening. What I was surprised to notice was that I didn't see much mention in other reviews of the school reforms required to make this a better country, If colleges required a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score in order to receive a sports scholarship that way players will be able to gain a good education and not be thrown out on the streets the second they get injured. Currently students are willing to not go to classes in hopes of reaching professional sports, but they need something to fall back on just in case they don't make it. And in the small chances that they do make it to professional sports, what happens if they get injured, they have no career to fall back on. This movie was very effective and inspiring.

The movie Hoop Dreams follows two young basketball players from the projects of Chicago in their quest to one day play NBA basketball. The documentary provides viewers with a gripping plot line and an in depth look into the lives of the two boys on and off the court. The movie does a very good job of communicating not only the stress that the boys feel as they chase a dream that has a miniscule success rate, but also life's hardships the boys have to endure on and off the court as the movie progresses through the boy's four years of high school. Throughout the movie, the directors do a very good job of putting the audience in the boy's shoes, which is the component that makes this movie so good. The filmmakers portray the difficult environment the boys grow up in, both at home and at school. They also do a very good job of documenting the people in Arthur and William's lives that influence them the most. As the movie starts out, the audience is introduced to Arthur Agee and William Gates, two fourteen year old boys with dreams of playing NBA basketball. Arthur lives on the south side of Chicago and William lives in the Cabrini Greens Housing Project. Both are poverty stricken areas without much chance for those raised there to escape the cycle of poverty. The boys are surrounded by lots of crime and gang activity which usually keeps kids their age from escaping the projects. The movie shows scenes of what life is like in the ghetto, from kids playing in rundown parks with inadequate basketball hoops, to Arthur's dad buying drugs from some gang members, both in view of Arthur and the cameras. It is scenes like these that bring the audience to understand the type of harsh environment the boys grew up in. The filmmakers realize that most of their audience cannot relate to the boys and they need to find a way to provide the audience with an understanding of what life is like for the boys. The directors do a very good job of showing the audience what it is like to grow up in the ghetto rather than just tell them. This is one aspect that keeps the audience so involved in the movie. The character development and portrayal in the documentary is exceptional. The filmmakers do a great job of showing the audience how the two main characters mature and grow not only as basketball players, but as young men too. Arthur Agee is described by coaches as a player full of potential, but one who still plays as if he is on the playground and not the basketball court. He does not know how to play "team basketball". However, as the movie progresses, it is enjoyable to watch Arthur leave St. Joe's due to financial problems, but go on to mature from a playground player to a team player, leading Marshall to the state title. William Gates starts out much more mature than Arthur does. He is also recruited by St. Joe's and is billed to be the next Isaiah Thomas by many. William starts on varsity as a freshman and is expected to lead his team to the state title four years in a row. William is also expected to keep his grades up, score an 18 or higher on his ACT, and provide for a new addition to his family, his first born child. Obviously there is a lot of pressure on William to succeed, and watching him progress through the movie is very captivating.The movie may focus on the basketball careers of William and Arthur, but another element which makes the movie so good is the added story line of the two player's families. This allows the filmmakers to show the audience the sacrifice the boy's families have to go through in order to help the boys reach their dreams. Arthur's mom in particular represents this theme. She has to raise her family as a single mother for a couple years when Arthur's dad leaves the family. At one point in time she loses her job due to chronic back pain and has to raise her kids on welfare for a while. She and Arthur's struggles are emotionally charged and very interesting to watch those conflicts play out.Hoop Dreams is an excellent documentary, because of the filmmaker's in depth connections of the boy's dreams and struggles with the movie's audience. The film shows the viewers instead of just simply telling. The documentary is incredibly involving and a joy to watch.

Engrossing documentary about two inner city kids and their struggles to make it into professional basketball."Hoop Dreams" made a big splash when it was released in 1994, and there was a big controversy around Academy Award time when it was deemed ineligible in the Best Documentary category. It likely would have won had it been nominated, and it ranks right up there among some of the best documentaries of all time. This is mostly due to how engrossing the storytelling is. You forget you're not watching a fictional film, which just supports the claim that truth can be more compelling than fiction.You don't have to be a fan of basketball to enjoy this movie.Grade: A