More Than a Game

More Than a Game [Motion Picture] (2009) Directed by Kristopher Belman, 105 minutes, rated PG; ASIN B002YMWQ2M

Any fan of basketball knows who LeBron James is, and like him or not, his talent as one of the best players in the NBA is undeniable.  In 1997, James was a sixth grader who loved to play hoops with his three best friends in Akron, Ohio.  The “fab four,” as they were known locally, rocketed through the amateur leagues and earned a reputation as small-time prodigies. 

This documentary film follows their journey from the streets of Akron to a private high school—which was perceived as a slight among many in the African American Akron community who assumed the boys would play for their local public school—where the four were most likely to continue to play as a unit.  The boys go from innocent elementary schoolers to cocky teens who begin to take their winning record for granted.  The film intersperses film from their early days and current interviews with the players, coaches, and sports writers who covered their meteoric rise.

Viewers know how this story will end for James, who signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school.  But many do not know the back story of how these basketball skills were born out of friendship and loyalty, nor are they likely to be familiar with the stories of the other three players who were all crucial parts of this legend. 

This is an excellent film for a sports fan, especially a basketball fan, and it provides enough of a human storyline to keep non-athletes riveted as well.  The story does not glorify James, despite the fact that he is the only one of the four who made it to megawatt status in the NBA.  Rather, it presents him as just one of these good friends.  While he is clearly the most talented of the athletes in this film, he is not the only one with a good story.  On the whole, it is a film with wide appeal.

See the trailer here.