Hoops

Basketball season is once again upon us - which reminds me of the wonderful new documentary, More Than a Game.

I had read a Vanity Fair excerpt from LeBron James' autobiographical account of his rise as a high school basketball star, Shooting Stars, (co-written by Buzz Bissinger, who wrote Friday Night Lights), so was really excited to see the documentary account of it as well. The story of LeBron and his teammates in Akron, Ohio - the Fab Five - is brought to life by first-time director Kristopher Belman, who personally followed the team around for several years as part of a documentary class at one of my alma maters, Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

The film shows the Fab Five overcoming many individual and team adversities and challenges to rise to the top of their sport. It has a definite Hoop Dreams quality to it, in that both are less about the game of basketball and more about the love, friendship and dedication that surround it. With rare interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, More Than a Game is as personal and inspirational a film as you will find all year.

Time to settle in for some hoops action.