Pick Your Favorite Basketball Movie
- Thread starter BBallF
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OP didn't say it has to be a serious movie.
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Mine does also.
MSGRET
MSG, US Army Retired
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Being originally from Indiana it has to be Hoosiers. There was nothing like the ISHAA basketball tournament. The High School that I attended still holds the record for consecutive Sectional Championships. Twenty-nine years in a row, lost in the Championship game in 1973 to Central Catholic High School.
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Great movie!!!!!
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I graduated from South Bend Central High School. In 'Hoosiers', Hickory defeats South Bend Central for the state championship. In real life 1954, tiny Milan High School actually defeated Muncie Central High School. South Bend Central won the state championship in 1953 and 1957.
John Wooden coached at South Bend Central from 1934-43, basketball and baseball. One of my classmates, Mike Warren played for John Wooden at UCLA; he was a teammate of Lew Alcindor. Mike won two national championships. He is also Jessica Alba's father-in-law.
John Wooden coached at South Bend Central from 1934-43, basketball and baseball. One of my classmates, Mike Warren played for John Wooden at UCLA; he was a teammate of Lew Alcindor. Mike won two national championships. He is also Jessica Alba's father-in-law.
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When I was a kid I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters movie with Dane Clark and sat through it three times. This was before computer generated movements and I sat thee in awe. To this day I say that team could have beaten any NBA team in existence at that time.
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I didn't grow up in the 50's but for me, by far, "Hoosiers."
No "he shoots - cut - closeup as the ball goes in." No mini-court to facilitate cinematography. No small section audience in digital multiples.
Just REAL basketball.
Maris Valainis as "Jimmy Chitwood" is as close to Larry Bird as we'll ever see in a fictional film. Gene Hackman is remarkable, the best coach character since G.D. Spradlin (more on that later) and Craig T. Nelson in "All The Right Moves." There's the "this really happened" aspect. And finally - that score! A masterwork by icon Jerry Goldsmith.
As someone who's done work in both, that opening scene, the car mowing through the leaf-strewn rural fall streets, with "Main Title - Welcome To Hickory" underneath, defines perfect film-making. Pity the original score was done almost exclusively on synths - the drum programming is putrid (it has been redone with orchestra). Every time I happen on that opening scene while cruising for content, I'm stopped in my tracks, goosebumps.
Second for me, for personal reasons, is 1977's "One On One," Robby Benson's tour-de-force, co-written with his father, Jerry Segal. I've read the book, multiple early versions of the screenplay (entitled, "Catch A Rising Star."), and purchased both the vinyl, and digital versions of the OST.
The story around the perils of men's basketball recruiting was ahead of its time. Benson's brings the perfect wide-eyed "wow - look at all this" note to the character. He also offers a quite realistic point guard / "hot dog" (if unrealistically short). The soundtrack's a critical component, featuring superb music by Charles Fox, Paul Williams's lyrics, brilliantly executed by Seals and Crofts. Annette O'Toole's turn as his counter-culture girlfriend is spot-on. And then there's G.D. Spradlin, absolutely bang-on, as the coach of Megalith U. Unlike "Hoosiers," plenty of groaners here, but for me, #2. My friends and I still run quotes from this one.
No "he shoots - cut - closeup as the ball goes in." No mini-court to facilitate cinematography. No small section audience in digital multiples.
Just REAL basketball.
Maris Valainis as "Jimmy Chitwood" is as close to Larry Bird as we'll ever see in a fictional film. Gene Hackman is remarkable, the best coach character since G.D. Spradlin (more on that later) and Craig T. Nelson in "All The Right Moves." There's the "this really happened" aspect. And finally - that score! A masterwork by icon Jerry Goldsmith.
As someone who's done work in both, that opening scene, the car mowing through the leaf-strewn rural fall streets, with "Main Title - Welcome To Hickory" underneath, defines perfect film-making. Pity the original score was done almost exclusively on synths - the drum programming is putrid (it has been redone with orchestra). Every time I happen on that opening scene while cruising for content, I'm stopped in my tracks, goosebumps.
Second for me, for personal reasons, is 1977's "One On One," Robby Benson's tour-de-force, co-written with his father, Jerry Segal. I've read the book, multiple early versions of the screenplay (entitled, "Catch A Rising Star."), and purchased both the vinyl, and digital versions of the OST.
The story around the perils of men's basketball recruiting was ahead of its time. Benson's brings the perfect wide-eyed "wow - look at all this" note to the character. He also offers a quite realistic point guard / "hot dog" (if unrealistically short). The soundtrack's a critical component, featuring superb music by Charles Fox, Paul Williams's lyrics, brilliantly executed by Seals and Crofts. Annette O'Toole's turn as his counter-culture girlfriend is spot-on. And then there's G.D. Spradlin, absolutely bang-on, as the coach of Megalith U. Unlike "Hoosiers," plenty of groaners here, but for me, #2. My friends and I still run quotes from this one.
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Mine has a Sweathog who becomes a coach of a small college in Nevada and brings along some talented from New York. Players like Swish, who is actually a young lady. Preacher, who has some questionable habits, Hustler..well known NBA Great...B.K.
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I can't believe that no one has mentioned "The Fish that Saved Saved Pittsburgh" starring Julius Erving, Stockard Channing and Meadowlark Lemon.
Why aren't there any movies about a high school girls team or a college women's team other than UCONN 95- Birth of a Dynasty? I guarantee that there are some incredible stories out there.
JordyG
Stake in my pocket, Vlad to see you
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Glory Road here. Hoosiers second.
JordyG
Stake in my pocket, Vlad to see you
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Third.
nwhoopfan
hopeless West Coast homer
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"Mighty Macs" is a dramatization about Immaculata College and "The Heart of the Game" is a documentary about a high school team in Seattle (Roosevelt HS).
edited--"The Winning Season" is a bit cheesy but decent, about a screw up of a guy trying to redeem himself while coaching a girls HS bball team. Good cast, stars Sam Rockwell as the coach and Emma Roberts and Rooney Mara as a couple of his players, Rob Corddry is the principal who gives him the job out of desperation.
So there you go, there's at least 3 movies about high school or college women's hoops teams.
Wasn't there a documentary about a girls HS team from a reservation? To answer my own question, "Off the Rez" follows Shoni Schimmel. Just a quick peak at google yielded several results for documentaries and dramatizations about this specific subject.
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