Stars: Frederick Marx, Peter Gilbert, Arthur Agee, William Gates

Director: Steve James

Summary: A highly acclaimed, Oscar-overlooked documentary about the hopes and dreams of two inner city youths who see basketball, and especially acceptance to a school known for its outstanding basketball program, as their ticket out of poverty. Appearances by Isiah Thomas, Dick Vitale, Spike Lee and Bobby Knight. Academy Award Nominations: Best Film Editing. Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

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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, so brimming with tension, plot twists, successes and tragedies that its length--170 minutes--is never an issue. Yet, what makes the film more impressive is how James moves his scope beyond a competitive sports drama (although the movie has plenty of terrific, nail-biting basketball footage) and 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 centre. 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. --Dave McCoy

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer, Production Notes
Year:	1994
Release Date:	February 3, 2003
Runtime:	100 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 8678
Label:	Feature Film Company
Keywords:	Never, General, Dreams, Drama, Released, Hoop
Genre:	Drama