boonsengkam
This is story telling at its best. Not only is it a highly entertaining basketball movie, there are so many life lessons that you can learn from watching it. So many topics come to the fore. Father and son relationships, manhood, aspirations, discipline, submission, spirit de corps, unity, fairness, justice, overcoming adversity, respect, obedience, friendship, greed, dealing with fame, community spirit, achievements, single parents, loving mothers, father figures, faith, God, religion, destiny, purpose in life and success. You also se selfishness, pride, disunity, arguments, rebellion. It's all here. I highly recommend this movie to all teachers, coaches, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, Pastors, youth workers. Today is Mother's Day 2014. If it weren't for King James' mother, her faith, fortitude, grit, love and determination, he wouldn't be where he is today. Father's Day is on the horizon! Coach Drey and his relationship with his son is one of the pillars of this movie. All fathers, spiritual fathers and fathers-to-be should watch this DVD or movie. Pastors and youth leaders, watch this movie and you can extract many life lessons. To me, the best part of the movie was watching Coach Drey in action. His prayer on basketball being in God's small scheme of things put the perspective on the entire movie. How many men could pray a prayer like that? in the society that we live in today, winning is everything. Do we use basketball as a tool to achieve what God wants us to do in the lives of others, or does basketball use us? This movie is more than just sports, it is about a journey of character building and creating men out of boys. To me, Coach Drey is a humble man. How do I know this? I know because humble man prays to a God whom he knows is in charge of the whole situation and is bigger than he is, Only a humble man admits that he has a lot to learn and is still learning about basketball by reading books of basketball greats and watches videos. Only humble man listens to his wife's advice on a life-changing decision of taking over as head coach when he is paralyzed by the thought of destroying the dream. Only a humble man talks to his son and asks his son if he was too hard on him. The humble man speaks of his own fears and frailties as a father, and a whole dependence on Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.I am amazed at the locker room scene where Coach Drey pep-talks the team in a firm, soft-spoken and controlled manner. I expected a hung-ho speech and a morale-boosting talk by Coach Drey but what emerged was words of wisdom, soft, yet hard hitting to the core of the players psyche. I believe that loud and harsh words from Coach Drey were not necessary because of the relationship between coach and players. He had already threatened, yelled, screamed, admonished and discipline the players over the years in the training sessions and on the battlefield of tournaments. He was their father figure. Coach Drey was the 6th player of the Fab5. Even when the team was behind on points at the start of the 4th quarter of the Championship Final game, he did not yell, scream or give his boys the hair dryer treatment. He knew what to say to them and they knew what he meant. Here's another thing I observed. There is a scene where the boys are sitting on the basketball court and Coach Drey is talking to them. The janitor is sweeping the floor with a broad brush broom. The boys are in his path. He does not stop and does not deviate from his path. Boys lift their legs to let the broom and handler pass them by. Then they lower their legs and resume their previous posture. In that situation, despite being basketball stars of their college and their State, they submitted to the lowly floor cleaner who was just doing his duty.In the movie, I also got a glimpse of the emphasis of Christianity and on Jesus Christ among the black community of Akron, specifically of the family members and relatives of the players. My faith is lifted up. Through this movie, I am inspired to be a better husband and a better father. This is a high-quality documentary. The graphics and image special effects are amazing and highly entertaining. Watching a diminutive sub 5-footer sink 3-pointer shots with ease will inspire you. Watching archive footage of the Fab-5 dismembering other teams because of their intuition and close team-work is awe-inspiring. it is a story worth watching and I believe that as you watch it, you will be challenged in your spirit, soul and body. Frankie "Moodurian" Kam, Malaysia.
Desertman84
More Than a Game is a sports documentary film that follows NBA superstar LeBron James and four of his teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Akron, Ohio, and James's journey to fame. The film trailer was released in April featuring the single "Stronger" by Mary J. Blige, which she released in support of the film. It is a documentary that focuses in on 5 young basketball players - LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee - and their coach, Dru Joyce II, performing on an AAU team with the growing stardom of the future NBA superstar, LeBron James. Taking them through their pre-teens to high school, the film follows their incredible journey as the unknown Ohio team rises to the top of youth athletics. The moral really suggests that to win, a team has to fight until the end to achieve a goal, even if the challenge seems easy.Director Kristopher Belman examines the way that bonds are formed and tested with this profile of four high school basketball players who formed a remarkable chemistry over the years, eventually going on to play for St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, OH -- with one of them realizing their common dream of becoming an NBA superstar. LeBron James was still in high school when Sports Illustrated dubbed him "The Chosen One" and all-eyes turned toward the St. Mary-St. Vincent team. But while most cameras focused on the court, only Belman managed to capture the remarkably personal exchanges that occurred in the locker room as the team prepared for their games and celebrated their victories. And while James may have been the breakout star of the group, Belman still takes the time to offer detailed profiles of diminutive shot-sinker Little Dru, stocky Sian, and wise-beyond-his-years Willie -- the other players who formed the so-called "Fab Four." The subsequent addition of Romeo Travis necessitated the expansion of their nickname to the "Fab Five." As the adversity rises and James enters into his senior year, he faces the resentment of outsiders who would attempt to capitalize on his talent, and endures pressures that most teenagers will never know. Though the film may not delve as deep as some would prefer, More Than a Game is an inspiring documentary featuring likable youngsters, a positive message, and some exciting in-game footage
Ras-I Thrill
If you know or care anything about high school hoops on a national level, there's one stretch of the truth that will jump out at you near the end of this movie -- that being the assertion that St. Vincent-St. Mary is playing in a national championship game in what was the senior season for LeBron James and the rest of the "Fab 4/5". Of course, there is no national championship game for high school hoops, at least, not like there is in college. LeBron and his crew won the Division II Ohio state championship as seniors, then would have had to be voted national champs in one or more polls. And I don't remember if they were consensus national champs; since it's all done by polls, it's possible one or more polls had some other team as its national champ that season.Maybe that only means something to me because I'm a basketball fan. For everyone else it probably suffices to say that this is an entertaining film, if a bit thin on details and questionable at times in its accuracy. As basketball documentaries go, More Than A Game can't hold Hoop Dream's jock, but seeing action clips of LeBron as a youngsta make it worth the rental.One last basketball junkie point: For my tastes the film makers should have gone into more detail about the LeBron-Carmelo Anthony HS matchup. It's glossed over a bit in this film so you don't get the sense of what a battle that game was between two good teams and two future NBA stars (36-8-5 and six steals for LeBron, 34-11-2 for Carmelo). Nor is it emphasized that LeBron and St. Vincent-St. Mary lost the game.
joshfarcone
This documentary follows Lebron James(NBA superstar) and childhood friends....from the earliest part of his life. From grade school friends, to youth travel ball, to playing at St Mary's High School, to being drafted in the NBA. When four tight buddies become five...off the court as well. Almost a biopic...but not. Amazing what an Akron-Native with time and a camera could accomplish following around "King James".Although this film follows a professional basketball players rise to fame, it is more about the friendships and loyalty involved in the process. You can't become a star without having trust and faith in others around you. Turns into a great study of professional athletes, what it takes at all ages, but also the emotion and friendships that shape the human....we fail to look at these stars as normal guys like ourselves...and we shouldn't. You will understand just who and what they are through movies like this.
