The Year of the Yao (2005)
66 %
Reviews Counted: 32 Fresh: 21 Rotten:11 Average Rating: 6.2/10
Consensus:
This sports bio documentary is given a few fresh angles, including culture clash issues, and the friendship that develops between Yao and his interpreter.
Runtime: 88 mins
Theatrical Release: 2005
Synopsis: This documentary tells a unique story of Eastern and Western cultures merging within the world of professional basketball. Yao Ming, the seven-feet-six-inches-tall athlete who is a star in his native China, was the first pick of the Houston Rockets for the 2002-2003 NBA draft. Feeling... [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
Starring: Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's taut, engrossing 2004 documentary on Chinese basketball player Yao Ming's first year in the NBA offers insight into the game and its stars.
Comment
03/25/08
Top Critic
By playing up the hoopla and glitz, the filmmakers have created a vacuum at its center.
03/01/07
The film is happily as fast paced as the sport of basketball itself: there are no bearded, stuttering academics discussing any aspect of the story.
01/19/07
Top Critic
As bright and shiny as you would imagine something co-produced by NBA Entertainment to be, The Year of the Yao provides little insight beyond hanging out with its super-sized star.
08/04/05
Top Critic
There appears to be much more to Yao than is captured here. That's where the movie drops the ball.
07/22/05
Top Critic
A surprisingly layered portrait of a rookie with the hopes of a nation -- a big nation -- riding on his shoulders, and the frustrations and small victories that entails.
07/15/05
Top Critic
The movie's focus on Yao is limited by his lack of narrative abilities.
05/09/05
Sure, it's fun to watch big-screen close-ups of Yao battling with O'Neal, though it feels like another ESPN special.
05/06/05
Top Critic
From language barriers to international political barriers, Yao promises something most documentaries miss entirely -- insight and hope.
05/06/05
Top Critic
...while their subject is amiably charismatic, the filmmakers fail to fully get beneath his skin. Still...it's a sports documentary that can be enjoyed by anyone...
04/29/05
The excitement on the court and the banter and good-natured ribbing in the locker room is handled by the book by the behind the camera crew.
04/28/05
More of a promo than anything else: it sells us on the concept of Yao Ming, but has next to nothing to say about him.
04/21/05
Pictures
News
Yao Ming Turns Down "Rush Hour 3"
posted by Senh Duong September 19, 2006
Brett Ratner can cross out yet another celebrity from his dream cast for "Rush Hour 3." In an interview with a...
posted by Senh Duong September 19, 2006
Brett Ratner can cross out yet another celebrity from his dream cast for "Rush Hour 3." In an interview with a...
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