Institute History
Description
Much has already been written about the potent allure that pro sports
has for youngsters, especially those who see it as their road to a better
life So the basic message of Hoop Dreams, which chronicles the lives
and high-school careers of two Chicago-area basketball players, might
seem to be old hat. 8ut Hoop Dreams IS such a comprehensive achievement
and is so effective, both dramatically and as a social portrait, that
we can't help but remain engrossed throughout this extraordinary work
William Gates and Arthur Agee are both in junior high school when
their skill on the court catches the attention of recruiters who want
them to attend one of Chicago's premier high-school basketball powerhouses,
St. Joseph's, which also happens to be the alma mater of NBA
superstar Isaiah Thomas. Agee idolizes Thomas, and the coach's assurance
that he will help get Agee a college scholarship If he attends St
Joseph's convinces him and his family to make the choice. Gates is even
more heavily pursued, told by everyone that he is already a star and projected
by many in the sports establishment to be the next Thomas.
Thus begins a four-and-a-half-year odyssey which documents the
boys' separate sports careers (Arthur doesn't manage to stay at St
Joseph's very long and includes many of the familiar peaks and valleys
experienced by high-school athletic prodigies. But as important as their
lives on the court are, this is more than a sports doc. and the events in
the boys' personal lives, the crises in their families, the pressures they
feel by being among the best in their business are beautifully revealed
and strikingly contrasted. This is real-life drama, and the intimacy which
the filmmakers have managed to achieve allows for both subtle and
dramatic turns 01 events. The attraction of sports, unlike real life, allows
many people a taste of clear-cut triumph and failure The metaphors
provided by sports are sometimes too Simple for that real world, but
Hoop Dreams gives us all something to think about
—Geoffrey Gilmore
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Saturday Jan 22 10:00 am
Holiday Village Cinema I
Tuesday Jan 25 10:00 pm
Egyptian Theatre
Thursday Jan 27 1:00 pm
Holiday Village Cinema I
Saturday Jan 29 4:00 pm
Holiday Village Cinema I
$7.00