With the holiday season upon us, it’s always fun to post up on the couch and get cozy with an entertaining movie.
The crossover between film and sports has been firmly embedded in the zeitgeist over the last 30 years. In this case, we’ll opt to look at the best basketball films made.
An elite basketball movie has to encompass credible playing of basketball in addition to vital emotion that will get the audience invested. These three projects seem to fit the bill best in that regard:
Love & Basketball
This film chronicles the relationship between two next-door neighbors as they navigate their respective journeys as basketball players.
Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Q (Omar Epps) both end up at USC. Monica was a last-minute addition to the recruiting class, whereas Q was the best prospect in the country. They fell in love with each other toward the end of high school and dated into their freshmen year.
We see the dichotomy of one character outperforming expectations, while the other fails to live up to the hype. All the while, their relationship hangs in the balance. Filmed on campus, it has a true college feel. The hooping scenes are quite good, and the soundtrack is among the best all-time for a sports film.
He Got Game
Spike Lee created this gripping drama centered around the father-son duo played by Denzel Washington and Ray Allen, respectively.
Shot around New York and mostly in Coney Island, the gritty nature of the city essentially was a character itself. Allen’s actual ability as an NBA player was on full display here. When meshed together with Washington’s acting chops, and the emergence of a young Rosario Dawson, this move really does stand the test of time.
Perhaps the most compelling scene from the film is when Washington and Allen play a competitive game of 1 vs. 1 against one another. You’d be surprised at how Washington held his own.
Hoop Dreams
This documentary chronicles the lives of two underprivileged youths from a rough part of Chicago over a four-year span.
You watch as both figures try to improve the fortunes of their families by using basketball as a vessel for wealth. One of the figures — Arthur Agee — initially received a partial scholarship to a prestigious private school before having to leave over his family being unable to afford the bill.
The other player, William Gates, stuck it out at the private school with the hopes of being the beacon of financial flexibility for his family. Unfortunately, a bad knee injury derailed his ultimate dream of being an NBA player.
This documentary is raw, unflinching, and heartbreaking. At the same time, it’s a must-watch — and is a microcosm of those in poverty who try their hardest to use sports as a mechanism to better their lives.
