Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Jeremiah Goodwin Jeremiah Goodwin Whitaker Expository Writing 10-19-15 Film ReviewFilm Review: Hoop DreamsFor my film review I chose the documentary "Hoop Dreams". This film goes through the struggles of two very talented African American basketball players, Arthur Agee, and William Gates. Both who were recruited by St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois. Which was a majority white school. Hall of famer, Isiah Thomas, is an alumni of the school. The film shows what their lives was like. It also shows their daily struggles.In my opinion I believe Arthur had it the worse out of the two. After being recruited to St. Joseph and playing he was kicked out after failing to make payments on the tuition. To me I felt as if they tried so hard to get Arthur to come to the school they wouldn't just let him be kicked out like that. I feel like they would have had some kind of agreement to where he could make payments. For example and installment payment. Or somebody in the school or an organization could've done something to keep him there. Also there was a point in time he had to go back to his local school and was just getting by with his grades. He also had to do it without his father for some time. Arthur seemed to not care about school altogether at one point. He had to go to summer school multiple times just to stay in the correct grade and graduate with his class. William gates had a better life but it was not great all the time. Like Arthur her too played for St. Joseph's. But unlike Arthur he played varsity. He seemed like he was the next sure thing to make it into the league. But no basketball player has a perfect life. At one point he struggled in his school work. He cared more about basketball than school. But eventually he got his life together and started to make the grades. Even on top of that he still excelled in basketball. Injuries began to plague him in his junior year in high school. He had a knee injury that could have cost him his whole year. But he battled back and continued to play. He messed himself up by going out to play when he was not completely healed though. During his experience at a Nike basketball camp he found himself struggling and injured his knee.Personally I don't think this film has a specific audience. This film can be watched by anybody. From basketball lovers to people who love a good story. There isn't anything wrong with it necessarily. Some may view it as a typical story and not care about it in anyway possible. Other may see this film and think of it as an absolute masterpiece. The point is every one is entitled to their own opinion. No matter if its bias or not. We can't tell a person if they are right or wrong about anything they say or do. The audience sometimes chooses the film not the other way around. In my opinion I think this film is a good film. Normal basketball documentaries start off while the player is in college or in their freshman year in the National Basketball Association (NBA). While with this film they start earlier in these players lives. There is a way that the story is told so that we can feel as if we are with them in their struggles and can feel the pain and suffering they are going through. Most people would look at this as a typical story of two young African American boys going through a basic struggle. But it is much more than that. This story is about two people chasing their dreams.

SnoopyStyle William Gates and Arthur Agee are two poor Chicago teens struggling to make it like their idol Isiah Thomas. Gates from Cabrini–Green gets a sponsor and go to good white school. Agee from West Garfield Park struggle as family issues force him to attend the local public high school. They both have highs and lows with many surprises. Gates faces injury issues and trying to maintain his early promise. Agee's father gets into drugs but his team at Marshall may be the Cinderella story.It's an eye opener for its insight into sports, poverty, race and the school system. Even more than that, it shows that real life can't be scripted. There is more drama and more surprises than many scripted fiction. The real life drama is so compelling. It breathed new life into the documentary genre and created controversy when it wasn't nominated for the best documentary at the Academy Awards. The main drawback is that the movie follows more on the basketball. It's certainly understandable because the basketball follows a schedule and has inherent drama. Their personal lives do get sufficient treatment to deliver some insight into the family's lives.

Michael_Elliott Hoop Dreams (1994)**** (out of 4)Wonderful documentary from Steve James who spent nearly five years with teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids dreaming of making it up through the ranks of basketball and getting into the NBA one day. HOOP DREAMS is one of the most respected documentaries ever made and I hadn't seen it since it was originally released but this second viewer really made it clear how well this thing has held up over the years and what a remarkable piece of work it actually is. Obviously, since I was just fourteen when I originally viewed the film the entire thing really didn't hit home as well as it did today, when I'm older and understand the ups and downs of life. It's just so strange to see a documentary on people you don't know that can hold your attention for nearly three hours. Throughout that time we follow their careers through high school where both struggle with their grades and this impacts what their future might hold because of needing to reach a certain level to be eligible to get into college. We also get to see their home lives, which aren't always the best due to being in poor incomes where we even learn that their power and gas has been turned off. What works so well with this film is that it really gives you a clear portrait of life in general. I don't see how anyone could watch this film and not feel or understand what these two kids are going through and at the same time you really cheer for them even if you see some of the paint on the wall saying that things aren't going to turn out as planned. It's rare for a film to be insightful, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time but HOOP DREAMS is quite a remarkable little gem.

Matt Dull I remember when this movie came out in 1994. I saw it, but being 16 and living an affluent small town existence I couldn't relate at all to a 3 hr documentary like this.Fast forward 15 years and as adult that lives in Chicago(setting of film) and having seen and experienced many more of the ups and downs of life, I really liked this film when I saw it again.I found this film extremely moving. The struggles of the main characters and their families really made an impact on me. The 3 hrs passed quickly and I must say that the film really stuck in my mind. It made me think critically about sports and our society in general in this day and age. To me, that indicates it was a great film!