3 reasons why Hoops Dreams is currently my favorite sports movie (besides The Wrestler, Moneyball, and I, Tonya) ever:
1) There’s no cheesy hogwash sprinkled in it—but that most likely has to do with the fact that it’s an impartially told documentary. The whole ordeal is brutally honest.
2) The movie tackles many years of two individuals’ lives; it’s not just about one “special” game that a team gravely must win or something of that matter. We get to see the strong-willed progression of two passion-driven careers in the making.
3) Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, or Charlie Sheen isn’t blabbering and coaching someone on how we should live our lives because some buffoon missed the ball on one of his/her batting hits during a game.
This is also the only time that I will accept a movie that was filmed on a potato. It’s that good.
For those concerned, take my rating of Hoop Dreams with a grain of salt. Me giving a documentary a “B” is like the everyday cinephile giving a documentary an “A.” Documentaries are really not my forte—generally speaking—but when I’m able to genuinely enjoy one, that’s mighty-high praise from mwah.
And the next time The Criterion Channel stops my viewing of a movie (a whole two hours into it, not to mention) that’s leaving at the end of the month before that month actually ends, I will rain hell upon the company with furious anger! I had fifty minutes left on Hoop Dreams! ONLY FIFTY MORE MINUTES.
Amazon Prime coming in with the clutch save though.
Verdict: B+
“Hoop Dreams” is now available to rent and buy on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and iTunes.
Burning the Celluloid 
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