Gunnin' for That #1 Spot

Gunnin' for that #1 spot was a neat glimpse into the world of the top high school basketball players. The lives of the high school players was way more intense than I would have imagined. On the outside, they all seemed like your typical high school boys, but their passion and skills for the sport really set them apart from other high school students. The mere fact that they had college coaches and sponsors trying to recruit them all the time showed that these guys were on a completely different level than your average high school basketball player. The determination of the college coaches to have their chosen player recruited to join their school and play for them was really astounding. I didn't realize that so much effort went into recruiting high school players. The kids seemed way older than 17-18 years old because they had to deal with so much, and some of them had to make some really mature decisions regarding their futures.

The visual effects made the movie fresh and not monotonous. It was able to hold my attention and kept me wanting more. I feel like the visuals mixed with the music really added a lot to the documentary and made it even more entertaining. I absolutely loved the music all throughout the film.

It's almost hard to believe that this kind of film, so focused on the livelihood and future of a couple of teenagers, could actually ignore emotion completely. A very important topic, not completely neglected, just not focused on as much as I thought was necessary. I just thought it numbed how much emotion is actually put into these basketball players' games. From what I perceived from the film, basketball was most likely going to be these kid's main means of support. So what was to happen if they lost? Without the emotion of the players how are we supposed to relate to the film and genuinely understand how much basketball means to them? Not a complete miss, the characters were well explained otherwise, with statistics and coach support, also explaining how competitive High School basketball is. As a documentary you are allowed to get so personal with your subject, which is something the film COULD have accomplished easily.

The release of Hoop Dreams in 1994 set the standard for basketball documentaries. It depicted the lives of two young men on their journey to fulfill their "hoop dreams," discussing their victories as well as the challenges in their way. No film has since had the same impact; Hoop Dreams was the Michael Jordan of basketball films. So who are the Lebrons, the Carmelo Anthonys, the Chris Pauls? Hoop Dreams has had no match, no counterpart until Oscilloscope's Gunnin' For That #1 Spot. Gunnin' documents eight of the nation's top-ranked high school basketball players as they travel to the first-ever Elite 24 basketball game at the famous Rucker Park in Harlem, where legends have been known to be born. Between astonishing clips of high school games, where senior Kevin Love breaks the glass dunking, and interviews with coaches, trainers, critics, and family, the boys tell us about themselves, their hopes, their game, why they play. It is clear from listening to them talk that they are typical teenage boys who go to regular schools and have regular lives, except one thing; they are the nation's top high school basketball players of any age, and they're almost famous. As the story moves on from getting to know them, their lives, and their game, we become as eager for the Rucker game as the boys themselves, trying to anticipate who will shine. In Harlem, the boys spend three days together, practicing with NBA trainers and being showered with freebees as companies try to snatch the boys up for endorsement early. The game is not a high school game, and these great eight are not just high school players. Dunk after dunk, windmills and swooshes from across the court, the Rucker game brings the excitement of every slam dunk contest, the discipline of the basketball veterans, and renewed intensity reminiscent of Hoop Dreams. Gunnin' leaves us wanting more, hungry for slams dunks and anxious to see which one of these basketball phenoms will join the ranks, who will claim that number one spot.

One of the highlights is the goofy color commentator who gives nicknames to all the players, comments on their shoes, begs out loud for someone to bring him free food and drinks and complains that his microphone is soaked with spit. The other highlight is one of the "coaches" who tells his team of all-stars "Africa has AIDS. We have a case of the 'Me' disease." Otherwise this movie is not worth seeking out. The opening sections where they go into the backgrounds of the players are boring. Nothing on the level of Hoop Dreams, or even of a quality of a halftime show of the players' lives. I have to add one more line to get this published.