Review of Hoop Dreams (1994) by Eareviews — 21 Aug 2016

The Boyhood of sports documentaries. Filmed over the course of the high school career of two black teenagers from poor neighborhoods in Chicago, Hoop Dreams paints a starkly realistic picture of the high stakes of basketball and the influence the sport can have on a young black man's life.

The film evolves into almost a tale of two cities, with the boys developing considerably differently as they go through high school, and the challenges they face at each. Without divulging too much of the plot, both boys are invited to attend a private, suburban, mostly white high school with a legendary team history, but only one can remain.

Once the paths of the boys split, the divisions in class become evident as the other boy attends a mostly black inner-city high school. One is afforded opportunities and saving graces, while the other must scrape by.

Another reason for the film's power is the depiction of the home life of the boys, showing the hurdles that they must overcome on the homefront. "The system" is mentioned frequently by one of the boy's mothers, and the effects of the system can be seen clearly both on and off the basketball court.

Basketball is a pivotal method of understanding race and class in America, and Hoop Dreams explores all these themes and more with effortless grace. Your heart will race during the games, whether you like basketball already, or haven't thought once about the hardwood.

Don't be turned off by the length of the film (nearly 3 hours), it is worth every second, and you are gripped from the moment the film begins until the epilogue credits.