Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (2008)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 42
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 10
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves his worth as a director with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 16
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 1
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves his worth as a director with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 389
Movie Info
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (aka MCA) follows eight of the most talented high-school basketball players in the nation as they prepare to compete in the first annual "Elite 24" all-star game -- a heated competition played out on the legendary New York City basketball court in Rucker Park. This is the same court where Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Dr. J perfected their games, and now 24 future NBA hopefuls will take to the concrete to prove their worth. Raw hip-hop and high-energy
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Cast
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Brandon Jennings
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Donte Greene
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Kevin Love
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Kyle Singler
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Lance Stephenson
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Bobbito Garcia
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Michael Beasley
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Jerryd Bayless
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Tyreke Evans
Himself
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All Critics (42) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (10) | DVD (2)
A spunky, impassioned and resourceful doc on the cutthroat world of US college basketball made for a pittance by Adam Yauch.
Top CriticIn the opening section of the film, we get to know them through interviews, game footage and scenes of family life. It's here where the film shines, giving us a glimpse into what it's like for young athletes being groomed for the NBA.
It's a fly-on-the-wall look at eight prodigiously talented kids hooking up to play ball in the big city, and as such, it's a great deal of fun.
A funkier, shallower version of 1994's Hoop Dreams, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's doc follows eight high school basketball phenoms as they head to Harlem's asphalt mecca, Rucker Park, to take part in 2006's Elite 24 tournament.
The film is well shot and edited, backed with a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack and full of pep.
A cool look at superstars-to-be paying respect to Harlem's Rucker Park on their path to hoops greatness.
The extraordinary athleticism and skills of these teenagers, all prime prospects for eventual NBA stardom, makes this a game you really want to see.
Spot provides the basics with foot-tapping, head-bobbing flamboyance, providing the viewer with a serious helping of heart, soul, and scorching basketball action blended up into a taut, explosive documentary.
Although this is never less than watchable, you can't help feeling that it would have been a better film if they'd waited a year or so and actually included details of the players' futures.
To concentrate on the film you have to be a basketball fan, or just a basket case.
Unlike the 1994 basketball doc Hoop Dreams, which investigated collateral issues of education, race and money, this merely sets a twitchy hip-hop soundtrack to an unenlightening parade of eager sporting wannabes.
OK, so it's not quite as searching as Hoop Dreams, but it's hugely enjoyable all the same and boasts - as you'd expect - a terrific soundtrack.
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's basketball diary is of limited general appeal.
A ho-hum basketball documentary.
This is just a dull promotional video.
The slow-motion footage of these athletes showing off their macho skills is generously underpinned by rumbling hip-hop. Great nightclub wallpaper.
At the heart of everything there's Yauch, directing with remarkable authority for someone who's pretty new to the director's chair.
As a tribute to the game and its accessibility to all, Gunnin' is hard to beat.
Gunnin' is everything the fatuous, condescending Hoop Dreams was not.
Shining a light on eight of the brightest stars in American high school basketball, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot is a refreshing and thrilling reminder of why we watch and why they play.
I daresay the results would inspire Eisenstein himself to proffer an affirming nod from the great beyond.
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot is a basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a Hong Kong wire-fu epic.
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Movie: ID: 770728301 Title: Gunnin' for That #1 Spot Release Date: 2008-06-27 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Almost half the documentary is spent on the personal histories of eight of the basketball players, nothing of which is memorable(In other words, there is nothing along the lines of a double amputee supporting her twelve children by working three jobs.), despite their diverse backgrounds. And remember when filming sporting events, keep it simple. Let the athletes do the talking with their play.