Hoop Dreams (The Criterion Collection)

There are so many wonderful things I have to say about this DVD that this review probably won't make much sense. So, I guess the best compliment I can give to "Hoop Dreams" is that it's so magnificent that I don't know where to begin.I guess the best place to start is to assume that you've no idea what this movie is, and have stumbled onto it by accident. After all, "Hoop Dreams" hasn't taken its rightful place in film history yet. It was released the same year as "Forrest Gump", "Pulp Fiction", "Speed", "The Shawshank Redemption", and "The Lion King"...sadly, "Hoop Dreams" has yet to be as well-known, even though it was more critically-praised than any of those 1994 pictures.So, what is "Hoop Dreams"? In simplest terms, it's a 3-hour documentary that focuses on two kids in Chicago, both of them loving nothing more than playing basketball. The film begins with 8th graders Arthur Agee and Williams Gates being "recruited" to St. Joseph High School on the basis of their athletic abilities. They attend a summer camp. They meet St. Joseph grad Isiah Thomas, who made it to the NBA. William and Arthur commute 3 hours to attend the school. Their families are lower-class African-Americans, each with their share of struggles and reactions to the boys' education and athletics. By the end of "Hoop Dreams", we have joined the filmmakers in following Arthur and William from grade 8 to their freshman year in college.Now, for some reason, documentaries don't sound like they can be interesting or exciting. I think that's because most of us had to watch very dull and laborious educational programs when we were in school, not to mention that documentaries by their very nature lack a certain amount of control in the story. But "Hoop Dreams" is different, VERY different. Not only are the people engaging, but in simple filmic terms, this crew managed to get some awesome footage and did an incredible job of cutting 7 years' worth of footage into a 3-hour picture. The film has a great pace, and in some ways, is more dramatically compelling than most fictional tales. Yet "Hoop Dreams" tells its story through the interviews and camera shots, rather than the filmmakers voice-over narrations. We do get some narration so that we can understand what's going on, but "Hoop Dreams" doesn't have a Michael Moore telling you what to think. The footage speaks for itself.The stories of William and Arthur have very fascinating aspects to them. William has an older brother, Curtis, whose basketball career never took off, leaving Curtis to live vicariously through his younger brother. William has to contend with a knee injury during his junior year, raise a daughter with his girlfriend, and endure a love/hate relationship with St. Joseph coach Gene Pingatore. The coach's behavior alternates between verbally abusive and down-to-Earth. He's the kind of man whose methods are like double-or-nothing bets in blackjack; you're either a genius, or a madman.Arthur Agee, on the other hand, ends up in a very different place than William. Because of his low grades and his family's inability to pay for the education, Arthur spends most of high school career at another school with less money and poorer facilities. Ironically, Marshall High School (w/ Arthur) fares much better than St. Joseph (w/ William), even though the latter has more resources for its students and extra-curricular activities. The Agee family supplies both the saddest and happiest moments of "Hoop Dreams". Arthur's father, Bo, struggles to remain a positive influence on his son's life. The scene when Bo pays a sudden visit to his son, only to buy drugs minutes after shooting hoops is harrowing, made even sadder that the filmmakers just happened to be there. But Arthur's mother, Sheila, becomes a true heroine, as she remembers to celebrate Arthur's birthdays and works to become a nurse.There are so many more moments in "Hoop Dreams" that have imprinted onto my memory that I can't possibly name them all. But one more thing I want to focus on is the basketball games. After all, this is a movie called "Hoop Dreams". The footage that is shown is sure to strike a personal chord with anyone who's been to a game. The odd enthusiasm of a high school game's audience. The smell of the hardwood floor. The dimly-lit gyms. The sad faces of the losing team's players. It all hits you in the heart, and will spark some nostalgia. But more importantly, the games themselves are kinda exciting to watch. When William Gates' knee injury starts to affect his team, you (the viewer) feel sad. We don't want to see him fail; we want him to sink those dramatic free throws and earn a chance for a scholarship. Sports movies typically have a formula, but "Hoop Dreams" makes the formulas work, and it's not even trying!Why does "Hoop Dreams" resonate with me so much? It's because "Hoop Dreams" isn't a basketball movie, and it's not just a documentary either. This is a movie with something to say, but lets you decide what it is. This is a movie filled with compelling characters, but none of them are actors. These are real people! "Hoop Dreams" has great footage and scenes, but none of them were storyboarded or scripted (Listen to the DVD commentaries to learn why they regretted filming a moment when the Agee Family loses power to their home). Finally, it is so much more than a talking-heads documentary. You truly feel like you're sitting in the same room as these people, attending the same basketball games, worshipping with the same congregation, listening to the same doctors & coaches, and playing on those same asphalt courts.There are many films that have been praised to be something more than just a movie, but "Hoop Dreams" is one of the few to deserve such praise. It did back in 1994, and it deserves to be remembered among the true achievements in motion pictures.DVD EXTRASThere are very few extras on the DVD, but in true Criterion fashion, they're all splendid. First, you get to see about 15 minutes of clips from the Siskel & Ebert show. Say what you will about critics, but Gene Siskel (of the Chicago Tribune) and Roger Ebert (of the Chicago Sun-Times) were very responsible for making this sure that "Hoop Dreams" achived the success it did back then. You get to see the original review, their original pitch to have the film nominated for the Academy Awards, the shocking reveal that "Hoop Dreams" was deliberately screwed out of the Oscar votes, and finally seeing Roger Ebert hail it his favorite movie of the 1990s with Martin Scorsese as his guest host. Come to think of it, "Hoop Dreams" is my favorite movie from the 1990s, as well.The last extras are two audio commentaries. The first is by Steve James, Frederick Marx and Peter Gilbert (the filmmakers). They reveal many interesting facts of "Hoop Dreams", like how it was originally just a short project about 8th graders getting into high school basketball, or how William Gates' story has so many surprises because they just didn't get to meet some of his family & friends until later in the shooting. In short, this commentary track is never boring.The second commentary is another treasure, with Williams Gates and Arthur Agee doing their track. And like the filmmakers' track, these two are engaging speakers with plenty to add to the film. After all, they lived it, right? It's so heart-warming to see these two speak honestly about their struggles, their dreams, their current lives, and their mutual respect & friendship.What's so terrific about this DVD is that in addition to getting a 3-hour masterpiece, there are 2 additional commentary tracks that broaden the scope even more! You could literally spend 9 hours with this DVD, and still be dying to learn more about the world and people of "Hoop Dreams". Never have I been so engaged, entertained, and inspired by such a DVD!I want to close with this quote from Roger Ebert, "The greatest value of film is that it helps us break out of our boxes of time and space, and helps us to empathize with other people. It lets us walk in someone else's shoes. HOOP DREAMS, gave me that gift."

After each time Hoop Dreams has been shown to me, I have gotten a little closer to the story, as the story provided an opportunity to ponder the notion of dreams and hopes. The first time I saw this amazing film was in the winter of 1995 at the Gothenburg Film Festival in Sweden. At that time I learned more about the cultural differences between being a poor teen in Chicago compared to being a teen in Sweden. The second time I viewed the film was in 1997, as I attended a university here in the United States. This time the film had a more profound affect on me, as I could relate to the emotional journey that sports have on a person, as I also was heavily involved in college athletics. Now more than a decade later since the first viewing of Hoop Dreams I have moved to Chicago where I am also a part of the educational system in the city of Chicago. This time I can not only relate, but recognize the many obstacles that these two teens went through during the filming of this absolutely brilliant film.The opening shot of the film shows the West Loop area and the downtown loop area of Chicago with the Sears Tower in the background, as the Blue Line L train moves toward the underground part of the L system and the Eisenhower Expressway. Today, the West Loop area is an up and coming area with newly built condos and ever increasing property tax, as is much of the area around the immediate downtown area. However, ten years ago much of this area had high poverty rates where many kids dreamed of playing themselves away from poverty through basketball. In Hoop Dreams the audience gets to follow two teens William Gates and Arthur Agee through five years of struggle where they try to achieve the dream of getting away from the poverty and violence in their neighborhood.William and Arthur were scouted for private schools located in the suburban area of Chicago, a very different world compared to the Cabrini Green Housing Project where they grew up, as both of them were excepted to St. Joseph High School. Through the first year the audience learns that William starts on varsity team as a freshman and many compares his talent with former St. Joe's player and former NBA star Isiah Thomas. For Arthur things are not going so well, but he makes the freshman team where he has some success. When the freshman year comes to an end both William and Arthur face some financial difficulty. William gets help from some of St. Joe's booster club members while Arthur who does not have the same talent as William finds himself being forced to leave St. Joe's, as he cannot pay for the tuition increase.Basketball is everything to William and Arthur, but the story also offers an intricate view of the socioeconomic environment and how this affects psychodynamics of their families and neighborhood. It offers several opportunities for the viewers to experience how Arthur's family is cooping with the difficulties of losing their jobs, separation between the parents, and Arthur beginning in a new school. It is a tough journey that Arthur must go through, but he has no choice as poverty keeps him from returning to St. Joe's. Besides Arthur's difficulties William faces other hurdles, such as an injured knee and having a child. This story goes into great lengths on illustrating how this injury affects his whole persona and how he is involved with his newborn baby.Hoop Dreams brings a vision of what these two young men, Arthur and William, desire, but it also shows the struggle they had to encounter due to lack of opportunities as middle school and elementary school students. These missed opportunities originate in poverty, which consequently leads to a number of missed functions in life such as structure, parental guidance, and safety. This was not because the mother's in the film did not care, because they did. However, there was a consistently missing male role model for both teens. Thus, Arthur and William had to tread a much longer path in order to achieve the same goal, as they must quickly learn how to become young adults without proper guidance. It is a hard and long journey that they both had to venture, and as a viewer of Hoop Dreams I am ever so grateful for having the opportunity to watch both Arthur and William together with their families go through ups and downs in life, which offers a greater appreciation of life.

This film is old, but i had never seen it before. I just love it, reminds me of the good old days. But it is about real people and real life and has two different stories with two different families. Besides this if you like basketball you will like this. I like how it is directed and takes you through the lives of the boys. You just want to see them do well to the end ... but im not going to spoil it. Wish there was a part two - but I think there is another documentary related to this shot many years late called real hoop dreams? not sure. However I am sure you will enjoy the trials and tribulations of making it big to the college pro's!

At last this Oscar winning documentary makes it onto DVD.Why is it trashy Adam Sandler, Tom Green etc movies get released on DVD immediately but truly brilliant and moving stories like Hoop Dreams languish for years? It never ceases to amaze me what rubbish comes out on DVD yet Scorsese's After Hours or Joe Dante's Explorer's are not - bizarre.A wonderful story about 2 boys from a poor neighbourhood in Chicago who dream of being "like Mike". The story follows them for a few years as they start to get noticed, get picked to go to posh private schools to play basketball etc. The story packs a real punch dealing with issues of fame, money, family dysfunction, race, education etc etc. This is more rewarding than 99% of Hollywood movies put together with more tension, excitement and drama to boot.I just hope this is the start of more documentaries being released on DVD - with Hollywood churning out cookie-cutter clone nonsense it's independent documentary makers who make the cinema worth visiting. Hopefully War Photographer and Spellbound make it onto DVD soon for starters.

Ice cubes lyrics even more politically charged in current climate and a very relevant and powerful doc

This documentary remains one of the best ever despite the failure of Oscar voters to recognise it at the time. For people aspiring to work in documentaries this film is a must.

A fantastic film. Highly recommended - and not just for those interested in basketball but by anyone interested in great documentaries.