communication breakdown

Movie Review: Hoop Dreams (1994)

[ 9 / 10 ] Whoever coined the phrase "Basketball is a metaphor for life" might as well have been talking about Hoop Dreams. This groundbreaking documentary, an eight year project following the lives of two budding basketball talents, completely redefined the genre with its grand scope, gripping story, and endearing subjects. This movie is not about basketball; it is about life, and the challenges associated with it...

Hoop Dreams tells the combined stories of Arthur Agee and William Gates, two young boys from the inner city of Chicago who both pursue their dream of playing in the NBA. Both boys show great promise on their neighborhood basketball courts, and at the age of 14, both are recruited to play at distant St. Joseph's High School, alma mater of Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who both boys idolize. It is a dream come true for both Arthur and William, as they see this as their first step towards NBA stardom. But once they get to St. Joe's, their paths begin to diverge in quite unexpected and unbelievable ways.

This film is the culimination of many years of dedication on the part of the filmmakers, including five full years of following the stories of Arthur and William. The creators show incredible commitment to the project, never wavering from their faith in the subjects and their interest in the stories. As a result, they weave a timeless and poignant story that couldn't be any more entertaining if it were pure fiction. The fact that it is all completely true and recorded over the course of several years only magnifies the towering accomplishment.

Speaking to the skeptics, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that you do not have to be a basketball fan to love this film. Like any great picture, it transcends its genre, and all shallow attempts at compartmentalization, to become something more important than any "basketball movie" could ever hope to be. While the story is admittedly basketball-heavy in the early parts of the film, this is quite necessary to establish the love that these boys have for the game, the seriousness of their dreams, and the commitment they show in reaching those dreams. However, as the documentary progresses, something interesting happens. Basketball begins to take a back seat to real life. Whether this was intentional all along on the part of the filmmakers, or something that they stumbled upon during the course of production, we'll never know. But it's clear that, throughout the picture, the sport becomes a vehicle for relating the story of the lives of the boys and their families.

And what stories they are. There are too many things to cover here. The film touches on more issues, and raises more questions, than could ever be expected from a single project, even one that weighs in at three hours. We get an up-close portrait of the Chicago ghetto. Rather than putting the focus on the pimps and the pushers, like the sensationalized Hollywood blockbusters always seem to do, we see real families struggling to live among the chaos, facing hardships, overcoming obstacles, and in general persevering through the circumstances. We see the convincing reality of how the boys' talents are manipulated by those around them. Though the filmmakers subtlely choose to never directly comment on it, it is clear that the boys are often just pawns; family members try to live vicariously through them, coaches manipulate them for glory, recruits persuade them with ulterior motives. We see social injustices, ineffective public school systems, and the unavoidable intrusion of drugs and violence on the families, despite their best efforts to avoid such dangers.

But at the center of it all are two good-natured, hard-working, dreamers who refuse to give up. They might not be the brightest kids - they probably could have and should have tried harder in school - but no child is perfect, and you have to respect Arthur and William for pursuing their chosen goals with determination far beyond their years. Their mothers are moving stories as well - each a strong, compassionate matriarch who makes sacrifices for her son throughout the film. One of the most touching moments of the movie is when Arthur's mother graduates from a nursing class at a local community college. The joy on her face is real, unrehearsed, and absolutely moving. But in the same scene that our heart races with happiness for her accomplishment, we see a wide shot of the graduation auditorium where the place is completely empty except for the graduates - education doesn't have quite the same crowd appeal as basketball in the Chicago ghetto. Such is the power and brilliance of Hoop Dreams.

I will not say what becomes of Arthur and William - it is a story that you will want to live for yourself. There is a reason that Roger Ebert named this film the best of the 1990's. Its scope might be grand, but it does not fall short in achieving any of its goals. It is a powerful, gritty, raw and realistic film that explores human life as fully as it does the ideal of the NBA dream. The only reason I cannot give it the highest mark possible is because I reserve a "10" for films that I consider to be my absolute favorite movies, and Hoop Dreams falls just short of this distinction. Nevertheless it is ultimately thrilling and entertaining. Basketball fan or not, anyone who enjoys a good drama will find this film to be a dream.