Hoop Dreams (1994)

A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.

Director:

Steve James

Writers:

Steve James, Frederick Marx

Stars:

William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Gates	...	Himself
Arthur Agee	...	Himself
Emma Gates	...	Herself - William's Mother
Curtis Gates	...	Himself - William's Brother
Sheila Agee	...	Herself - Arthur's Mother
Arthur 'Bo' Agee	...	Himself - Arthur's Father
Earl Smith	...	Himself - Talent Scout
Gene Pingatore	...	Himself - High School Basketball Coach
Isiah Thomas	...	Himself - Professional Basketball Player
Marlyn Hopewell	...	Herself - High School Guidance Counselor (as Sister Marlyn Hopewell)
Bill Gleason	...	Himself - Television Reporter
Patricia Weir	...	Herself - President: Encyclopedia Brittanica
Marjorie Heard	...	Herself - High School Guidance Counselor
Luther Bedford	...	Himself - High School Basketball Coach
Aretha Mitchell	...	Herself - High School Guidance Counselor

Storyline

This documentary follows two young African-Americans through their high school years as they perfect their skills in basketball in the hopes of getting a college scholarship and eventually play in the NBA. Arthur Agee and William Gates both show great potential and are are actively recruited as they look to enter high school. They start off at the same high school but unable to pay an unexpected bill for tuition fees, Arthur has to withdraw and go to the local public high school. The film follows them through their four years of high school and their trials and tribulations: injuries, slumps and the never ending battle to maintain their grades. Through it all, their hoop dreams continue.

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Plot Keywords:

basketball | athlete | national film registry | high school | college | 

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Taglines:

An Extraordinary True Story.

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content and some strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Basquete Blues

Filming Locations:

Cabrini Green Housing Complex, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,396, 16 October 1994

Gross USA:

$7,830,611

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,830,611

Company Credits

Production Co:

KTCA Minneapolis, Kartemquin Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally intended to be a 30-minute PBS special about multiple players on a single basketball court. After 5 years, the filmmakers had shot 250 hours of footage, which was trimmed down to 3 hours.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Announcer: Welcome to the 38th Annual NBA All Star game from Chicago Stadium.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to the St. Joseph High School community and Coach Gene Pingatore who agreed to participate in a not for profit Kartemquin Educational film telling William and Arthur's stories. Today, St. Joseph, with a 39% minority enrollment, remains committed to the dream of a better life for all. Awarding need based financial aid to 40% of its students, St. Joseph with limited resources continues to maintain its academic excellence. A Hoop Dreams Fund has been set up to provide academic scholarships.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life (2010)

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Soundtracks

The Bus Stop - Electric Slide
Composed, Performed & Recorded by Charles Green
Arize Records
Inland Ocean Publishing

User Reviews

A real, human drama

"Hoop Dreams" is a film about real life, because that is what it's exactly about, real life. I feel that I must put a stronger emphasis on the word "real" to get my point across. This isn't some hokey, Hollywood drama about living out a dream, but is about two aspiring young athletes rising out of the dredges of the Chicago ghetto life and into the flash and glitter of the NBA.

Though I'm not a hardcore sports fan, nor am I really into movies about sports, but I really admire basketball, as I feel it has a kind of grace and natural balance that's lacking in most other sports this vigorous. That is why I like some of the film's exhilarating on-court action that is interspersed evenly with the human drama.

Directed by Steve James and produced by Frederick Marx and Peter Gilbert, "Hoop Dreams" originally began as a 30-minute documentary about rising ballplayers, but the filmmakers quickly saw that 30 minutes was just too narrow a scope for their story. This realization came when they witnessed two teens, William Gates and Arthur Agee, as they both try to join the NBA, much like their idol Isiah Thomas.

In total, 250+ hours of footage was gathered over the course of a five-year period and then edited into an engaging 171-minute documentary, following the two teens (from ages 14-18), as they attend expensive Catholic schools, go through the rigorous on-court training, meet the demands of their coaches, and live out their dreams. (Director Spike Lee also appears at a training camp and gives some of the aspiring players some less-than-inspiring advice about what their skills mean to the people at the top of the ladder.)

We watch as their poignant, real-life struggles unfold on the screen, and watch as time after time they get stonewalled by the system of bureaucracy and racism that's meant to be especially hard on two young black boys from the ghetto. They have difficulty with making decent grades, financial issues, preparing for the ACT, sports-related injuries, and must contend with problems at home as well, including trouble with family matters (Arthur's relationship with his father is especially touching and sad; William welcomes a new addition to his family while still in high school).

For years, success stories, such as "Hoop Dreams," have dominated Hollywood cinema and have won over legions of audiences, but we've never seen anything like this. Gates and Agee are both bright-eyed and ambitious that they're embarking on something that's historically significant to their lives and community.

This is the best movie about basketball and reality I've seen yet because of the simple fact that it's real; no scripts, no phony Hollywood theatrics, just "real" action, drama, and emotions.

10/10