Hoop Dreams

Pros: Very personal and detailed story; sympathetic characters; many surprising moments
Cons: If you're easily depressed this might not be the documentary for you.

"Hoop Dreams" is a moving documentary about two poor black teenagers and their struggles to succeed despite how difficult their lives are. It proves that sometimes reality can be even stranger and more brutal than fiction. As the film opens, we meet ...

Pros: One of the most compelling films ever made.
Cons: A lot of people have still not seen the film.

"Everybody is my coach," William said. "They ask me, 'Will you remember me when you're in the NBA?' I should ask them, 'Will you remember me if I'm not in the NBA?' "


That is not a scripted moment in a film about...

Pros: a wonderful commentary about basketball and life in the inner city
Cons: a little long (about 3 hours)

"Hoop Dreams" is a bittersweet documentary, a truly great film, about basketball and inner-city life. The movie follows two boys (and their families) through their high school years and onward. Both families live in Cabrini Greens, the...

Pros: Brilliant filmmaking on interesting people
Cons: It's a long movie, if you dislike that sort of thing (I don't).

I usually don't like to discuss spoilers in my reviews, but this is a movie that simply cries out to be discussed in it's full glory. Since this is a movie that is more to be watched for its in-depth character study than for any of its "plot"...

Pros: Shows a side of life we don't usually see
Cons: Length

Every so often, a film comes along which crosses all boundaries, and cannot be defined by genre. Hoop Dreams is just that type of film. On the surface, it appears to be a documentary about two young boys with superior basketball skills. Lying...

Pros: Powerful and Important
Cons: None

Rarely is a film able to transcend its ultimate goal of entertaining the viewer. Hoop Dreams creates such a dramatic view of society that we see how much more it is than just a basketball documentary.
We are taken in to the lives of two young...

Pros: Just a great documentary about basketball.
Cons: A bit lengthy in parts.

This is a fantastic movie. By some abysmal oversight, this movie wasn't nominated of an Oscar for best documentary, which it most certainly would have won.

The crew follows high-school William Gates (Obviously, before he made Windows 95.)...

Pros: Realistic, good message, surprise-ending
Cons: Annoying characters, too long

Even though I'm not a big fan of basketball, I knew I had to see "Hoop Dreams" after I read a gushing review of this film. Although it wasn't as good as I thought it would be, I still enjoyed it.

"Hoop Dreams" tells the...

Pros: Meaningful story, gripping detail
Cons: A little long, especially for those who don't understand basketball

"Hoop Dreams" is a documentary that shows how the athletic talents of our youth have become so central to self-definition and definition by society. Two young men are the best at what they do at their schools, and among the best in the nation....

Pros: Simply wonderful
Cons: None

This is one of those movies that you want to force your friends and family to watch, because you just know they will thank you for it. I came very close to tears 3 or 4 times in this movie, and I'm not a cryer. It's so uplifiting at times, and so totally...

Pros: One of the best documentaries I've ever seen
Cons: some real-life scenarios in the move are a bit tedious to me.

I saw this movie when it first came out, then I saw it again just recently. Both times I was fascinated by the characters and the story. The directors did a great job of making you feel like you know the two boys that the story follows.

the...

Pros: none
Cons: see above.

Hoop Dreams is a movie about two teens in the Chicago area that want to play in the NBA. Their names are Arthur Agee and William Gates. Both have talent and both get offers from a local prep school, St. Joseph’s. Gates is able to get the money to pay ...

Pros: Great story and Great realistic look at life.
Cons: Undermines what hard work is and is 3 hours long which could have been told in 1 hour and 30 minutes..

The movie Hoop dreams is a documentary about two inner city Chicago kids who both share the same dream of playing in the NBA. Since I myself as a child once had a dream of playing in the NBA I thought this movie would be the perfect movie for me to...

Pros: Personal aspect
Cons: none

This is truly a great documentary. It involves two high school teenagers who's only interest is basketball. This documentary doesn't have celebrities or special effects, but instead it gives a glimpse of what life is really like for these two teenagers...

Pros: Great Inspiration, story
Cons: Length of movie

Hoop Dreams was one of the best basketball movies that I have ever viewed. A story of two boys from Chicago and how they fought through poverty and drugs clinging onto basketball for their lives. This movie shows the truth about how rough the inner city...