OBSCURE, BUT ENTERTAINING, BALLER FLICKS
October 16, 2009 by R.C. Cola
There are a ton of obvious selections to the pantheon of great basketball films. “Hoosiers” is a classic, while “Hoop Dreams” is a brilliant contemporary look at street life and the dream of going pro.
This story isn’t a look at those kinds of films. Instead, I want to put a spotlight on those lesser known films lost by time, or were overlooked and under-rated. I tried to pick films that you may not have necessarily looked at, or even considered a basketball flick. While few of them deserve classic status, they’re definitely recommended to any true fan of the game of hoops.
So do yourself a favor and hit up Netflix or bit torrent and check out these movies. You won’t be sorry.
1. “Above the Rim.” This gritty street baller flick actually had actors who looked like they could ball. It’s perhaps best known for its soundtrack, which included the perennial late ’90s hit, Warren G’s and Nate Dogg’s “Regulate.” I’m not sure they did anything after that, but what a way to peak. When you hear the cry, “Regulators, mount up!” you feel a little bit cooler just listening to it.
But there’s a lot more to offer than just a hit song (which is insanely catchy). The film is a gritty depiction of the inner city and the desperate need to escape that life. The underlying trends of redemption and temptation played through with Leon’s Shep and Duane Martin’s Kyle Lee Watson, respectively. Shep is trying to find a way to come to terms with the loss of his best friend, while Watson has to navigate through the gangster influences - and his own ego - before heading to the big time at Georgetown University.
It’s hard to forget Tupac Shakur in one of his of better roles as the shifty and sinister Birdie. Have you ever been so freaked out by a razor blade? The intermixing of youthful horseplay between Watson and his friend contrasts with the gunplay flashed by Birdie’s dirty basketball team.
It didn’t hurt that the basketball played was actually pretty good.
I know this movie has a loyal following among some hip-hop and basketball communities. But it is 15 years old, and deserves another mention. There’s a whole generation of ballers who’ve grown up without seeing this flick. That’s just a shame.
2. “Love and Basketball.” This film about two lovebirds who happen to both excel at basketball and aspire to play professionally was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and was loved critically. Omar Epps, of “House” fame, plays Quincy McCall, while Sanaa Lathan plays Monica Wright. The film takes us through their love-hate relationship early in their childhood through USC, and then later on through their professional careers.
The specter of parenthood looms throughout this movie, with Quincy’s dysfunctional relationship with his father the reason for their break-up. The film is also best known for the role reversal seen in the conclusion of the film. Oh, and it’s just weird seeing Omar Epps in a Lakers uniform.
It’s definitely more than the your normal sports flick, with the heaping helping of emotions. It was also saddled with a poorly focused marketing campaign when it first hit theaters, so it didn’t garner too much attention. But the film is definitely worth checking out.
3. “Heaven is a Playground.” Another street baller flick that’s not great, but enjoyable enough for anyone who enjoys playing the game. It’s also hampered by the fact that it’s based off a much lauded book by Rick Telander.
D.B. Sweeney - what happened to him? - plays Zach Telander, a promising young attorney who gives it up and spends the summer playing pick-up ball. He gets to know Michael Warren’s Byron Harper, a driven mentor who is pushing the young neighborhood kids to developer their basketball skills and nab a college scholarship. Harper has his star pupil, Truth, played by Victor Love. In the meantime, there’s Matthew, played by Bo Kimble, best known for playing alongside Hank Gathers.
Zach ends up leading a squad of scrubs against Byron’s elite players, while all of them find their love of the game.
The movie is a little corny, and the acting isn’t the best. But it’s still enjoyable fare.
In a bit of trivia, Michael Jordan was originally supposed to play the role occupied by Kimble. Jordan backed out at the last minute. It might have been a good call.
4. “Coach Carter.” At first blush, this appears to be the typical high school-sports coaching movie. And in some ways, it is. But it’s hard to resist Samuel L. Jackson in full Samuel L. Jackson mode. He plays Coach Ken Carter, based on a real coach who benched his players and locked them out of the gym for their poor grades in the midst of an undefeated season. It has the typical ups and downs of a coach trying to win over his players with the added wrinkle of the academic focus, which we so rarely see now. It brings into focus the debate over whether high schools are churning out basketball players or scholars, and whether one is more appropriate than the other.
It’s also interesting to see “Spanish” (Rick Gonzalez) from “Old School” as one of the punk kids.
Even when the movie came out, it was written off as another cliched, and didn’t garner a huge audience. I would give it a shot. The DVD extra interviewing the real players and coach are entertaining as well.
5. “Finding Forrester.” If you saw this movie, you’re probably thinking, “Isn’t this film about writing?” Yes, for the most part. But if you remember, Rob Brown’s character, Jamal Wallace, gained access to an elite prep school through his basketball skills. Brown balanced the soulful, introspective writing side with the trash-talking side in his first major role in a film.
Don’t forget, it was his integrity and contempt for those that would see him as just a player that led to his pivotal decision to blow those free throws in the end.
Any character that can ball on the streets and lecture a professor on the differences between “further” and “farther” (”You said that my skills reached ‘farther’ than basketball. ‘Farther’ relates to distance, ‘further’ is a definition of degree. You should have said “further”) is one worth spending two hours with.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!