Hoop Dreams (1994)
Genre: Documentary / Sport
Duration: 170 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Steve James
Stars: Arthur Agee, William Gates and Steve James
IMDb score:
8,3 (29.907)
Releasedate: 12 September 1994
Hoop Dreams plot
"An Extraordinary True Story."
Impression of the dreams and ambitions of two young basketball talents. They are followed throughout their high school careers, from playing in the squares until being scouted by major universities. The obstacles they face range from drug addiction and poverty to street violence and injuries.
Reviews & comments
Vinokourov
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- 3143 messages
- 2909 votes
Hoop Dreams is a highly acclaimed documentary that chronicles the lives of two boys who want to make the NBA. The two Black boys do not come from the best neighborhoods in Chicago and underperform in school. As a result, realizing that big dream becomes a major challenge for them.
Anyway, high expectations beforehand, and as far as I'm concerned, they are met. It lasts almost 3 hours and actually remains captivating throughout. Quite impressive! Fortunately, a large part consists of basketball footage, where I cheered along with the teams of the two main characters. But that is not the only thing this documentary focuses on. The college system and the ups and downs of the families are also covered extensively. All in all, a gem in the documentary genre 
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13649 messages
- 11421 votes
Excellent documentary following two boys who want to make it in basketball. This documentary primarily comes across as a social drama, but has also become a fine historical document. Many moments are taken from real life, full of setbacks and opportunities. The long running time is justified, given that it covers a period of several years. A narrow 4.0 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
El Loco
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- 1415 messages
- 2635 votes
Even though I have been playing basketball for a very long time and was familiar with this title, I have only just gotten around to actually seeing it. The long running time probably has something to do with it, but it is ideal material to watch in two halves.
I understand the status this documentary has built up, but I am not really impressed. On the one hand, the documentary treads the well-worn paths that many African Americans face. Arthur's family, in particular, seems to be in severe financial trouble, and the absent fathers also stand out. Although Arthur's father does try to support his son again.
Perhaps a few too many subplots were included, but the section focusing on the two boys' careers is interesting enough, especially due to the unpredictability of their careers. Their characters are completely different, and Arthur seems to take it all less seriously than William. William also seems to have more talent and really go for it until he is confronted with his knee problems. From then on, he seems to falter mentally as well, while Arthur clearly revives. Arthur has taken a step back from a larger school to a small, all-black school, but he performs very well with his team. In that regard, the documentary managed to hold my attention. The entire recruitment system for the young players is also quite interesting to see up close.
Although I am glad to have finally seen this documentary, I am not blown away by it.
3*
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