MORE THAN A GAME
Directed by Kristopher Belman
Produced by Harvey Mason, Jr., Belman, Matthew Perniciaro & Kevin Mann
Written by Belman & Brad Hogan
Released by Lionsgate
USA. 102 min. Rated PG 
 

More Than a Game, a documentary following the high-school exploits of future basketball superstar LeBron James and his friends, is about the redemptive power of basketball. Maybe you could says it’s Hoop Dreams with a fairy-tale ending With its stubborn avoidance of hard questions, and its mix of mostly talking heads and highlight footage, it often feels like an ESPN special filled with dude-approved sentimentality about balls, bros, and dads. But still, it’s hard not to like, and it tells a good story.

Made on a shoestring budget over nine years by an Ohio film student, it tracks James and his hometown friends (all soon to be nicknamed the Fab Five) from Akron, Ohio, as they work their way towards the 2003 national high school championships under the guidance of Dru Joyce II, the sort of couch—or father—every lad wishes he had. Along the way, James lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated (at 17), becoming an international celebrity and swag-magnet for Adidas and other brands.

Eventually, outrage over all his expensive gifts leads to James losing his amateur status, but this controversy, and maybe its broader implications, are given surprisingly short shrift in the movie (perhaps unsurprisingly, as James is also an executive producer). Mostly it’s there for the nail-biting suspense—will James get reinstated in time to help the team win the big game?

The film’s real focus is on the friendship between the Fab Five, all young black men from (mostly) hardscrabble backgrounds who enroll together in the Catholic private school St. Vincent-St.Mary’s (some, I assume, with the help of scholarships, although this isn’t said). Dru Joyce III, the coach’s son and a spirited, pint-sized point guard (his height in the movie is variously given as 4’11’’ and 5’2’’) is particularly likable. The teammates are interviewed, now as men, and their banter is one of the best parts of the film.

First-time director Kristopher Belman shows considerable skill in weaving many years worth of footage into a punchy, genuinely gripping, come-from-the-bottom sports yarn that trumps the stuff Disney puts out every year. But he doesn’t deserve all the credit. He was lucky in happening upon so many hugely charismatic subjects—and none more so than Coach Joyce. His seemingly off-the-cuff inspirational speeches are actually rather inspiring, especially the one he gives to the team at the climax of the film, during halftime when they’re down against their archrivals in the ’03 championships. It would put a veteran speechwriter to shame. Brendon Nafziger
October 2, 2009