Quickcard Review More than a Game
Directed by: Kristopher Belman Cast: Lebron James, Dru Joyce II, Dru Joyce III Running Time: 1 hr 45 min Rating: PG Release Date: October 2, 2009
PLOT: A documentary about five young men, including Lebron James, who play ball together from junior high through high school, in the process becoming National Champions.
WHO'S IT FOR? You don't have to be a fan of basketball, you just have to have a heart.
OVERALL
Billed as a story about Lebron James high school basketball career, More than a Game is really the story of James and four other young men who grew up together in Akron, Ohio and become basketball stars as teenagers. Led by Dru Joyce II, the father of one of their teammates, the boys start playing basketball in about 5th grade and proceed to grow with one another, as both players and human beings. When they're in 8th grade, the boys play in a national championship game and lose at the last minute, the loss gives them the impetus to become even better players and they go into their high school players determined to be winners. But their growth as players is secondary to their growth as people. Coach Joyce is a great subject to focus a documentary on, he's very open with the choices he made and how he went from teaching his son's local team to coaching on the national high school level. He's also willing to talk about how his relationship with his son changed over the course of their basketball career. I don't want to give too much away, the journey these young men take is both sweet and sad, but their relationship to one another and their coach is pretty impressive. Watching it, I don't think they're far enough removed from that time of their lives (after all, it was only 5 years ago) to really understand how lucky they were to have a mentor like Coach Dru. You don't have to be a fan of sports, or even documentaries to enjoy this film. It's slick and well made, just enjoyable to watch. I recommend it to everyone.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10