More Than a Game
Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at
6:29 pm
Buy More Than a Game at Amazon
Amazon.com
Product Description
They may be the best high school basketball team ever. From humble beginnings, future NBA superstar LeBron James, along with boyhood friends Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton and Willie McGee, began a journey that would take them from local fame to national acclaim. Joined by Romeo Travis in high school, the five fused their talents and, with the help of a dedicated coach, rewrote Ohio basketball history. Now, experience their trials, tribulations and triumphs in this inspirational film about five young men who became more than a team.
Buy More Than a Game at Amazon
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The title More Than a Game is more than a little cliché, and the most basic summary of this documentary’s premise does little to refute that initial impression: the story of five inner city youths who forge something beyond friendship while pursuing their high school hoop dreams. But the journey of the “Fab Five” who made up the core of the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team in Akron, Ohio earlier in the decade is not exactly your average sports saga, filled with extraordinary characters and equally extraordinary circumstances that Hollywood could craft no better in any feature script. Any filmmaker blessed with such serendipitous narrative riches would be content to simply recount the not-so-tall tale, but director Kristopher Belman takes it an added step: bringing the larger-than-life back down to a universally relatable scale.
Figures hardly come more larger-than-life than LeBron James, the Fighting Irish alum who (as the world over has come to know) first caught national sports media attention during his high school stint and has since become one of most celebrated and recognizable stars in all of sports, let alone in basketball. With the knowledge of James’s ultimate NBA fairy tale fate, the temptation would be to focus the film solely on his rise, but his story is duly treated as but one of the threads borne out of what was originally the “Fab Four”–James, “Little” Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, and Sian Cotton, whom we see in some rare home video honing their individual skills and team chemistry from way back when they were pre-teens. Playing in the Amateur Athletic Union, the quartet lived up to the “Shooting Stars” team name, building on their local Ohio successes to shock observers in a national tournament down in Florida; however, the four’s first taste of national success will turn out to be just shy of complete victory.
And, like most lives, that bittersweet experience reflects the greater journeys followed in More Than a Game. Given the presence of James, one expects this to be a film full of triumphs, but what make those resonate even more strongly in the end are the relatable setbacks, obstacles, and shake-ups that occur along the way. In fact, falling into that last category are two people who will come to complete the “fab” family and help lift the entire unit to new heights, Romeo Travis and “Little Dru”’s father, Dru Joyce II. But long before those heights, each initially enters the basketball picture under less than ideal circumstances: Travis in sophomore year at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, where his surly demeanor quickly clashes with the core quartet, who had just led the school to a championship the previous season; Joyce II in junior year, who takes over the head coaching position from a decorated predecessor despite minimal experience. How the four manage to evolve into a “Fab Five” and, above all else, a family of six headed by Coach Dru proves not so much a result of their hard work on the hardwood than of the growth they each must undergo as people.
The film’s structure reinforces that latter point. Instead of going the standard route of going through each person’s background at the top, Belman gives the individual histories at appropriate, organic moments within the overall narrative. While this approach does mean that some events early in the film unfold without a complete familiarity with or understanding of all of the players, spreading the stories out pays off in a couple of respects. Instead of blurring into a muddle, it allows each person to have their time to shine and their respective stories breathe and remain clear to the viewer. But even more effectively, the backstories are used beyond mere exposition to illuminate certain key events that affect the group as a whole–further underscoring the greater idea of how various circumstances seemingly centered on one person can cause repercussions for the collective. Chief among these developments, of course, is the hysteria and hype that arises around James after he is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, suddenly catapulting midwestern high school hoops into a nationally televised arena. The film admirably does not downplay any of the well-documented dramas and tensions that then sprung forth from James’s literally overnight fame, but instead of wallowing in sensational celebrity scandal, Belman keeps these developments in their proper perspective in regards to the bigger picture: how they affected the entire group and what they all aimed to accomplish.
That is an example of how and why More Than a Game works–showing the grounded, real-life terms and consequences of an increasingly surreal chain of events. Only a select few people can completely relate to being blessed with natural athletic ability and talent at such a young age; even fewer still would relate to being suddenly thrust into the media spotlight and scrutiny. But underneath that gloss and glamour is the classic tale of boys growing into men, of people learning the importance of the greater group glory over the individual shine, with the distinctly drawn personalities of each of the five offering a fairly diverse set of entry points for the viewer to understand and relate. Ironically enough, in balancing his attention between everyone on the team, Belman offers deeper, uncommonly intimate insight into the film’s marquee name; one is a witness what is perhaps James’s most critical, formative period through the eyes of those who not only knew him best, but had a huge hand in shaping the superstar “King James” so familiar to sports fans today. But if lifting-oneself-from-a-hard-knock-childhood-through-big-dreams is fairly commonplace film fodder, More Than a Game’s trump card comes in an arc that is not as commonly told and even more empowering: the story of Coach Dru, as the film is just as much about him coming into his own. If James’s story confirms the prevailing contemporary notion that one’s opportunity for success comes–and then passes–only while one is young, that of the elder Dru counters that, rather poignantly proving that one does not have to settle for comfort and complacency, for one’s true calling and self-actualization may not arrive until later in life.
That statement may make More Than a Game sound pretentious, but such weightier ideas are delivered in a very accessible and entertaining package. The Fab Five make an affable and appealing, funny and fun group, and Belman accordingly has fun, fighting the trap of talking head-and-news-clip documentary monotony and keeping the film visually dynamic. Beyond some snazzy (but not overdone) graphic work that gives the documentary staples of old photos and newspaper headlines some motion and flair, Belman also manages to lend some variety to the basketball footage, with each pivotal game edited and presented in their own subtly distinct way; for instance, some visual repetitiveness is avoided by simply not shooting scoreboards in the same way. Belman even has a little fun with the standard closing “where are they now” text cards without resorting to overwrought editorializing or labored stabs at profundity.
While it certainly helps to be familiar with the game of basketball and a fan of the sport to enjoy More Than a Game, it is far from necessary. Basketball is what brought the Fab Five and Coach Dru together and was and remains a shared passion, but the game is almost incidental to the larger idea: not only that those from not exactly the most privileged of backgrounds can indeed dream and succeed, but that one doesn’t necessarily do it by oneself. Not looking out for number one but instead always looking out for each other is what made Coach Dru and the Fab Five what they were as a team, who they have become as people today–and why their story and this film are so richly moving and inspirational.
If you like shooters, Modern Warfare is the best FPS on wii.
There is also Resident Evil 4, 3rd person shooter
And Dead Space Extraction/House of the Dead Overkill/Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles which are all Rail Shooters
I cant think of any midevil games of the top of my head though
chergeys were filthy, bow basketball kinda sucks though. 0:48 that dunk was so sick. good call on the kid standing up hahahaa that was funny
just try to remember as much as u can and if u still cant remember ask ur coach or ur teammates for help….. i think its not fair dat dey dont play u cuz u have trouble remembering plays
That game had such a hold on me for a good week. So simple, but also fun to play with strategies.
Today, Google announced that it is now selling a new version of the unlocked Nexus One that will work on AT&T and Rogers Wireless in 3G. Earlier today, we discussed the lackluster sales of Google’s Nexus One smartphone. One of the reasons we think sales are below expectations is that the phone was previously only available on one 3G carrier in the U.S. and Canada. While Google is still only selling the phone unsubsidized through T-Mobile, consumers now have two options when buying an unlocked handset. Both versions sell for $529. Additionally, the Nexus One can now be shipped to Canada from the Google web store. This is a nice step and certainly offers up more carrier choices for the Nexus One, but it still isn’t an ideal solution. For instance, if you live in the United States, you are still going to be locked to one provider for all intents and purposes. If you want to use the phone on a 3G network, you’re still going to have to choose a version of the phone that will be…
Is there anything cooler than green beer?
album: Snoop Dogg – More Malice
i dont like the game nigger fat nose motherfucker
I certainly can't name anyone else I mean their is William Buford, BJ Mullens, Delvon Roe and plenty more
i would beat the old car you have now into the ground. if you are happy with it, why get rid of it? i think it's noble of you to think of the enviroment, but by the time you are ready for new vehicle there will be even better hybrids out.
i feel very strongly that this problem could be easily fixed by technology. i don't think that hybrids, electric cars, etc are the only solution. the governments (not just ours) could fix this problem faster, but why would they?
anyway, keep that van and save up some money for an even better car in the future.
lost 1 game in 2 years, dwamn
After more than a year of debate, the Obama Administration is on the cusp of signing its health care overhaul into law. Think that legislative battle was a difficult one? TIME takes a look at 10 of the most hard-fought Congressional scraps in history
You can take your design in and ask for a contract that gets you a certain percent of whatever amount of money they make from your game total. For example, the company made 100 million dollars and you would get 10 million if you signed a 10% contract.
I'm not sure how much is resonable for a one time deal sorry.
There were times when last Sunday?s great G.O.P. health care implosion threatened to bring the thrill back to reality television. … But the laughs evaporated soon enough. More on Tax Day Tea Parties
"Lighting Up Blue" for Autism Awareness on April 1st. Follow or go to http://www.autismspeaks.org for more info. #autismspeaks
Economy. The presidential election isnt till November but my stocks are dropping like rocks right now.
Newegg Coupon Codes
Umm Tiger Woods and basketball? ….
CHS– It's Cleveland High School Girls' Basketball Team Day in Seattle.
I cannot wait to do this show. I really can’t. AAAAHHH!