Above the Rim Photos

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Cast

Duane Martin
as Kyle-Lee

Tupac Shakur
as Birdie

Leon
as Shep

David Bailey
as Rollins

Tonya Pinkins
as Mailika

Marlon Wayans
as Bugaloo

Bernie Mac
as Flip

Byron Minns
as Monroe

Sherwin David Harris
as Motaw

Shawn Michael Howard
as Bobby

Frank Martin
as Will

Henry Simmons
as Starnes

Iris Little Thomas
as Waitress

Michael Rispoli
as Richie

Eric Nies
as Montrose

Wood Harris

Bill Rafferty
as Himself

James Williams
as Speedy

Richard Ray Kirkland
as Phil Redd

Tyrone Batista
as Tyrone

Cinnamon Paige
as Young Woman

Debra Rubins
as Hostess

Jesse Williams
as Official

Robert Harvey
as Official

Cuffee
as Referee

Anthony Hargraves
as Referee

Darien Berry
as Younger Player

Lakeesha E. Allen
as Monarch Cheerleader

Sherrese Clark
as Monarch Cheerleader

Annie Charles
as Monarch Cheerleader

Aspen Davis
as Monarch Cheerleader

Charlene Levi
as Monarch Cheerleader

Tameeka McKinney
as Monarch Cheerleader

Dannell G. Ruiz
as Monarch Cheerleader

Leslie Terrero
as Monarch Cheerleader

Kenneth Bantun
as Basketball Player

Howard Bond
as Basketball Player

Troy Bowers
as Basketball Player

Roger Brooks
as Basketball Player

Dorian Graham
as Basketball Player

Marion Jenkins
as Basketball Player

Gil K. Kimble Jr.
as Basketball Player

Shabar Lassen
as Basketball Player

Troy Trusdale
as Basketball Player

Tracey Walston
as Basketball Player

Sam Worthen
as Basketball Player

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Critic Reviews for Above the Rim

Audience Reviews for Above the Rim

• Jan 31, 2011

  Pretty good. Great music I love how they followed 2 stories.but the end was pretty predictable and it probably wouldn't be poepular without tupac
  

  Daniel D Super Reviewer
• Jan 26, 2011

  Tupac was good in this film as usual but I just hated Above The Rim.I liked all of Tupac's movies except for this 1 & Poetic Justice.The only good thing I can think of to say about this movie is that Tupac was in it & Bernie Mac was good as Flip
  Brody M Super Reviewer
• Feb 02, 2010

  Shep: It's time you and me played. Not your typical sports flick as it has much more elements like the racial struggle. It's a good story about talent being corrupted by the street game, nicely directed good performances. A realistic look at the life in the urban neighborhoods. About an up and coming basketball player that must resist the temptation of dirty money, easy women and violence. The basketball scenes in this are pretty fantastic for the pure basketball fans. I mean a real basketball player can tell when someone is playing or pretending to play and this movie did a pretty good job on that element. It also showcases Tupac's acting abilities with his various confrontations with his characters estranged older brother. An overall good movie to watch. The cast was perfect, especially for the time of it's release. It was a movie set in the East Coast, but Tupac was a stand out star, and the entire soundtrack was done by Death Row. Shakur gave a great performance through out, along with Dwayne Martin. Leon was also featured in another film celebrated by the black community more than anywhere else, The Five Heartbeats. Not to mention Marlon Wayans doing what he always does. Wood Harris, who later goes on to "The Wire" fame, portrays a very aggressive character. The comedic legend Bernie Mac is featured in a good role also. I know that movies aren't black or white. They are just movies, but it is evident that there are a slew of movies that are celebrated a lot more in the black community than anywhere else. Menace II Society, Juice, New Jersey Drive, Above the Rim, Belly, Paid in Full, and this film are "Hood" classics. If you want to even begin to understand the logic behind some of the themes of this genre, then this is a very good movie to start with. Story of Kyle-Lee Watson, a promising high school basketball star, and his relationships with Birdie, a powerful drug dealer, and Birdie's brother, Thomas 'Shep' Sheppard, himself once a promising high school star at Kyle's school, now employed as a security guard.
  Sergio E Super Reviewer
• Jan 26, 2010

  The Hardest Part Of Winning Is Choosing Sides. Saw it again! One of the best basketball movies you will ever see. The story is superb and the basketball moves are spot on, no fakes here, this is as real as it is. Great cast and the acting was very strong and realistic. Story of Kyle-Lee Watson, a promising high school basketball star, and his relationships with Birdie, a powerful drug dealer, and Birdie's brother, Thomas 'Shep' Sheppard, himself once a promising high school star at Kyle's school, now employed as a security guard.
  Manu G Super Reviewer

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