The Heart of the Game (2005)

A documentary Roosevelt Roughriders, a girls' high-school basketball team in Seattle, and one player's fight to regain her eligibility to play.

Director:

Ward Serrill

Writer:

Ward Serrill

Stars:

Darnellia Russell, Bill Resler, Ludacris

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ludacris	...	Narrator (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Darnellia Russell	...	Herself
Bill Resler	...	Himself
Devon Crosby Helms	...	Herself (as Devon Crosby-Helms)
Meghan Miller	...	Herself
Jade White	...	Herself
Lindsey Wilson	...	Herself
Michael Silva	...	Himself (as Mike 'Riderman' Silva)
Emily Watson	...	Herself
Hillary Seidel	...	Herself
Aaron Jack	...	Himself
Maria Mendoza	...	Herself
Keasha Beward	...	Herself
April Swafford	...	Herself
Maude Lepley	...	Herself

Storyline

A documentary Roosevelt Roughriders, a girls' high-school basketball team in Seattle, and one player's fight to regain her eligibility to play.

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Plot Keywords:

watching television | national anthem | basketball team | high school | basketball | 

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Taglines:

THE HEART OF THE GAME captures the passion and energy of a Seattle high school girls' basketball team, the eccentricity of their unorthodox coach, and the incredible true story of one player's fight to play the game she loves.

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

I kardia tou paihnidiou

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,251, 11 June 2006

Gross USA:

$445,374

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$446,446

Company Credits

Production Co:

Woody Creek Productions, Flying Spot Pictures, Welb Film Pursuits Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bill Resler: One of the things really that makes coaching fun is when you tell teenagers "Go do 'ABC'", and they'll look at you and say "Yes, we're going to go do 'ABC'", and they're excited about "ABC", and five seconds later you watch them do "XYZ", and sometimes I'll ask them "Why did you do 'XYZ'?" and they never have an answer. They always look at you like, "Why would you ask a question like that?"

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Connections

Spoofs Braveheart (1995)

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Soundtracks

Believe It
Written by M. Ludlum and The Angel (as Angel C.)
Performed by The Angel featuring Mystic

User Reviews

Teachers! Required viewing!!

The Heart of the Game This is one of the great documentary achievements of the year. There have been so many stunning documentary films lately that they are beginning to provide far more revelation and insight into our times than most fictional works. The Heart of the Game is one of the most stunning examples. To review this as a sports film gives it little of the credit it deserves. What these remarkable filmmakers have done is to fashion a "sports genre" movie into a perfect gem of a film about adolescence, class, race, education, competition, gender, inspiration, and the gallant nature of the everyday the heroes and heroines in our midst. Directed by Ward Serrill, edited by Eric Frith and co-produced by Liz Manne, I think it rivals Grizzly Man in its ability to resonate beyond its own expectations and achieve something akin to poetry.

The filmmakers have put together a rousing portrait of two lives - University of Washington tax professor and women's basketball coach Bill Resler and basketball prodigy Darnellia Russell. Together with an ensemble of colorful and committed women athletes and coaches, they overcome a string of obstacles and turns of good and bad fortune that couldn't be scripted into a work of fiction any more powerfully. That the events you see actually unfolded as the film was being shot is remarkably good luck. They have taken the two hundred hours of footage over six years and beautifully fashioned it into a riveting story that will not only inspire but will blow your mind. The audience is evidence. I cannot remember the last time that heard a sophisticated older audience such as attended this screening, actually yell at the screen, comment out loud, sit on the edge of their seats, and applaud DURING the film. I'm not a sports fan at all. I dislike in many ways the tribal mentality of the commercial sporting event. But this film is way beyond a film for sports fans. It ought to be required viewing for any teacher, and for that matter, any high school class. Rather than another tired anecdote from the rarified world of celebrity let's see Bill Resler and Darnellia Russell on Letterman, Leno, Oprah. These are heroes worth hearing from.