Hoop Dreams [VHS]
![Hoop Dreams [VHS]](/images/Hoop-Dreams-VHS-6303413145-L.jpg)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Arthur Agee, Arthur 'Bo' Agee, Jazz Agee, Joe 'Sweetie' Agee, Sheila AgeePrimary Contributor: Arthur Agee
Primary Contributor: William Gates
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 176 minutes
Release Date: 1996-08-20
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: New Line Home Video
Studio: New Line Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Hoop Dreams [VHS]
Movie Review: See it again
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this doc when it came out in the 90s and, while I thought it was good, I came away with what I now feel are two false impressions that some other reviewers have expressed. First, I thought of the film as a cautionary tale for young kids who have very little chance of realizing their dream to make it to the NBA. I remember the shots of the "basketball house" at Arther Agee's school and thinking how sad it was. I read the post-doc bios and thought, "They don't make it to the NBA, they failed to do this and that's what the film is about." This is wrong. If you thought this you must see the film again. It is not about two young inner-city kids who fail to make it as professional athletes, it is about two exceptional individuals who, in their own way, overcome the circumstances of their environment. I found Arthur Agee's story especially compelling. In the beginning, you see him as a skinny, care-free, trusting child. As the film progresses you watch him confront multiple realities through the years about his family and his position in the world. You see him come to understand his father abused his mother and was not always true to his word. You also see an unruly but talented street player come to respect his talent and learn to take it seriously in organized play. Aside from the one-on-one game with his father late in the film, which other critics have singled out and is probably the most powerful scene in the doc, there is the moment when the junior college recruiter visits him at his mother's, offering a full scholarship, and his father tells him if he wants to attend a different college he will help him financially. Arthur doesn't say anything, but gives his father a look that conveys he realizes his father is just trying to make himself look more important and that in reality he cannot rely on his father for financial help, and signs with the recruiter.
The other false impression: when I first saw the film I compared William Gates' experience at St. Joseph's and Marquette University to Agee's situation, and unconsciously concluded that he was the more succesful of the two, or the more important one. I think this is also wrong. I think Agee is the focus of the documentary and in many ways comes across as the stronger character. Having said that, I could write just as much about Gates and his journey, which I think is a little bit subtler, a little less clear, but I feel this review is already too long.
Conclusion: this is a monumental film. Even if you disagree with me you should see it again.
Summary of Hoop Dreams [VHS]
This completely absorbing three-hour documentary follows the lives of two inner-city African American teenage basketball prodigies as they move through high school with long-shot dreams of the NBA, superstardom, and an escape from the ghetto. Taking cues from such works as Michael Apted's 35 Up, director Steve James and associates shot more than 250 hours of footage, spanning more than six years, and their completed work actually moves like an edge-of-the-seat drama, so brimming with tension, plot twists, successes, and tragedies that its length--170 minutes--is never an issue. Yet, what makes the film more impressive is how James moves his scope beyond a competitive sports drama (although the movie has plenty of terrific, nail-biting basketball footage) and addresses complex social issues, creating a scathing social commentary about class privilege and racial division. The film opens by introducing William Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago hopefuls, as they are being courted and recruited by various high schools to play ball, and continues until the pair are college freshmen. James allows the audience the experience of not only watching their journeys and daily routines (it's a sobering portrait of inner-city life), but also witnessing their maturation. Each takes a separate path along the way, stumbling over several obstacles (William suffers injuries, Arthur fails to meet his coach's high expectations); but James takes particular care to stress the importance and strong commitment of each character's family along the way, giving the film a essential center. The parents and siblings emerge with as much depth and complexity as the two main "characters," and turn Hoop Dreams into an unforgettable film experience. --Dave McCoyDocumentary VHS Video
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