Hoop Dreams

1994 174 min ★ 7.6 Documentary

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.

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Cast

William Gates

Self

Arthur Agee

Self

Gene Pingatore

Self

Steve James

Narrator (voice)

Dick Vitale

Self

Bobby Knight

Self

Spike Lee

Self

Isiah Thomas

Self

Details

Director

Steve James

Tagline

"An Extraordinary True Story."

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Budget

$700,000

Revenue

$7,830,611

Production

Fine Line Features, Kartemquin Films

Reviews

K

kineticandroid

June 29, 2014

That all-consuming drive towards being a professional athlete eats away at two inner-city Chicago boys and their families. And yet, they still find time to celebrate the little victories along the way, keeping this film from diving too much into an exploration in futility, and more of a life-affirming exploration of the nature of dreams.