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June 2006
The Heart of the Game Review |
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By Kam Williams
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Basketball Bio-Pic Chronicles Rise of Teen Phenom with WNBA Dreams In 1995, Hoop Dreams was nominated an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category. That fascinating flick followed five years in the promising careers of a couple of 14 year-old, black basketball phenoms from the slums of Chicago who were recruited to play for an otherwise lily-white high school located in the suburbs. What made that picture particularly poignant was the sharp contrast between the subjects' campus and disastrous home lives. For instance, during the film, we see one kid's father become a crackhead and get carted off to prison. If that movie delivered any message, it was to indict the practice of treating athletes like commodities while questioning the wisdom of allowing even a talented basketball prodigy to put all his eggs in one basket. The Heart of the Game might best be thought of as a female version Hoop Dreams, except that it is set in Seattle and focuses primarily on the plight of only one player instead of two. In this case, that talented teenager is Darnellia Russell, a shooting sensation who, with the blessing of her mother, April, opts to attend Roosevelt High instead of Garfield, the inner-city school located in the 'hood. Early on, we see Darnellia adjust to her new surroundings ("I've never been around so many white people before.") and to her new coach, Bill Resler, a 54 year-old clairvoyant who readily admits, "She's my only chance to be famous." The charismatic Ressler, a tax professor by trade, is relatively knew to the sport, having first volunteered for the job the season before. But half drill sergeant, half pop philosopher, he's obviously up to the task. Unfortunately, Darnellia develops a complication in her personal life, namely, a pregnancy, which causes her to drop out of school after her junior year. Then, when she's returns as a senior, the Board of Ed declares her ineligible to play anymore because of her newborn. The snubbed single-mom has to sue to get reinstated and ends up spending more time in the court of law as on the court of basketball. Her lawyer argues that it's an un-Constitutional double-standard to allow girls who get abortions and baby-fathers to remain in good standing. At this juncture, the question becomes, "Will Darnellia 's future blow up in her face or will justice be served just in time for her to lead her team to the state championship so she can continue to pursue her dream of playing in the WNBA?" Here's a hint. This is a Miramax film, and Miramax is owned by Disney. Excellent (3.5 stars) |
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