Hoop Dreams - Criterion Collection (1994)

A True Life Rocky Story and A Steal of a Price for Criterion.

Hoop Dreams is an amazing film. Not only is it the best documentary of all time but one of the greatest movies of all time.
I was amazed at how director Steve James was able to get this on film so perfectly. The story follows two inner city kids, Arthur Agee and William Gates, and their dream of making it to the NBA and out of the ghetto. The doc was filmed over five years we watch these two boys at fourteen grow to be young men and the ups and downs they go through. Viewers also get a look into the life of how kids are scouted and the harsh realities that go along with it but ultimately it's an uplifting story about overcoming your struggles and preserving.

The doc is so natural that at many points I forgot it was a documentary and I was watching a movie based on a true story. Basketball was a part of my life growing up, playing on courts all around Mass, that and a love for film I was certain I'd like Hoop Dreams. Also reading over the years the high praise it received at times once you finally see a movie it could be a let down because your expectations were so high. What I found was the film exceeded any expectations I had and was so much more then just being about basketball.

You don't watch a movie like Hoop Dreams you experience it. And it gets the best treatment dvds can get by Criterion, you can't go wrong. I give Hoop Dreams the highest possible recommendation. June 25, 2008

Alumni Buy This

Alumni of St. Joseph High School will like this because it shows the inside of the school and their teachers from the 80's. May 11, 2008

Great product. Great delivery time

This was a great product. The timing of the delivery was great as well. A + January 18, 2008

The Best Documentary of All-Time

Hoop Dreams is probably the most engrossing documentary ever made. It covers two young kids with unrealistic dreams that they will be the next Michael Jordan, or Isiah Thomas, their idols. Both can play, and play very well at that. However, being from poor families and growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, their only chances of realizing their dream is to play high school basketball out of the area. This documentary shows their lives at home, their lives at school and most of all their lives on the court. The trials and tribulations they go through to just play basketball at a place that warrants their skills is amazing. This is a must see film, I don't think it would be possible not to be intrigued by it. This product is the best documentary of any generation. December 17, 2007

One Of The Better Documentaries You'll Ever See

At three hours, this is a long but interesting documentary about two Chicago-area high school basketball stars, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who try to make something from their basketball talents.

Both athletes, of course, dream of becoming pro players some day. There are hundreds of similar tales each season - of great players, mostly black - who don't make it through college or even to college despite their enormous talents and one can get idea of some of the obstacles by watching these two guys.

Almost all of the three hours is devoted to these kids form junior high through high school. The families and friends of these athletes are interesting and the film really documents the different lifestyles between blacks and whites in the USA.

It's a fascinating picture for people of any race. For non-blacks, it shows them a window into a whole different world. This film is obviously not just to highlight basketball players but to show life as it exists with a lot of poor black families: the good and the bad, the achievements and the big mistakes. I enjoyed it just as much the second time as the first. It's one of the better documentaries I've ever seen, so don't let the length of it discourage you. September 9, 2007

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