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, is brimming with tension, plot twists, successes, and tragedies.
What makes the film so impressive is how James went beyond the scope of making a competitive sports drama, although the movie has plenty of terrific, nail-biting basketball footage. The film 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.
Director: Steve James
Year of Release: 1994
Character to watch: William Gates as Himself.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the movie.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?