Should you watch Hoop Dreams?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.
Hoop Dreams
Documentary · 1994
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
The sides of Hoop Dreams
- Two Chicago teenagers dreaming of the NBA
- A long daily commute to a suburban basketball school
- Five years of their families' lives
Hoop Dreams is good for you if…
- you like basketball as the dream that holds a family together.
- you want real lives followed over five years, with no script.
- you're moved by parents who sacrifice everything for their sons.
Hoop Dreams is bad for you if…
- nearly three hours is too much for you in one sitting.
- you need a story that moves faster than real life.
About: ambition · poverty · family · race
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