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Hoop Dreams

Play trailer Poster for Hoop Dreams PG-13,  1994,  2h 50m,  Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Stream Now Watchlist 98% 60 Reviews Tomatometer 93% 10,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
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Hoop Dreams

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Hoop Dreams

What to Know

Critics Consensus

One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time, Hoop Dreams is a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately deeply rewarding film that uses high school hoops as a jumping-off point to explore issues of race, class, and education in modern America.

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Critics Reviews

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Geordie Gray The Australian May 28, 2024
It remains the greatest, most incredibly moving sports documentary ever made... Go to Full Review
Bill Stamets Chicago Reader Jun 7, 2022
3/4
Recruiters, coaches, teachers–even the boys’ fathers–could be easy targets, but the filmmakers forgo cheap shots. Go to Full Review
Adam Nayman The Ringer Mar 27, 2020
At once a rigorous exploration of the sports-educational industrial complex and an intimate piece of portraiture... Go to Full Review
John Marriott Radio Times Jul 31, 2024
5/5
An unforgettable and thoroughly engrossing movie that's certainly not just for fans of basketball. Go to Full Review
Sheila Reid Women in the Life May 16, 2022
It’s a compelling story that gives you an in depth look at their world. Go to Full Review
John Bleasdale CineVue Nov 2, 2020
5/5
It's the film's humanity which is at the core of its genius. It takes its subject seriously. It never sneers or judges. It sees the context and is wise enough not to hold itself aloof. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Finn W Sep 24, 2018 Might be one of greatest motion pictures ever made! Never been more invested in a cast from any film. What a masterpiece!
Han L Jul 15, 2018 If Hoop Dreams isn't the best movie I've ever seen, I don't know what is. It's a true masterpiece that delivers on every level: story, real-life events, drama, tension, emotion, everything. It's fairly long but I think that serves to its benefit... Hoop Dreams is a movie I believe everyone should see. It's entrancing with the way it deals with the real lives of these people and their struggles and upbringing and challenges, and it's one of the few movies that has actually made me cry, which is a signal it's just really good. There's not a whole lot to complain about. If you really got upset because of the runtime, then you have no idea how good this movie actually is. Honestly, Hoop Dreams deserves an 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. See more
Abraham S Sep 19, 2017 Not a good movie that I enjoyed so I have seen better basketball movies
Finn W Sep 13, 2017 One of the best documentaries every created. Saw it in the theater and it was just awesome.
Rey W Aug 28, 2017 A great, epic documentary about 2 teens growing up in Chicago and their struggles and triumphs as they make their way through high school. See more
Hagrid R Jul 27, 2017 Following the lives of two Chicago boys with basketball promise, Hoop Dreams is one of the most intimate, eye-opening, and sobering documentaries I've seen. See more
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Hoop Dreams

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Steve James

Director

Steve James

Narrator

William Gates

Self

Arthur Agee

Self

Sheila Agee

Self

Isiah Thomas

Self

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Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams (1994) Hoop Dreams (1994) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
Director
Steve James
Producer
Peter Gilbert, Steve James, Frederick Marx
Distributor
Fine Line Features, New Line Home Video [us]
Production Co
KTCA Minneapolis, Kartemquin Films
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 14, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.8M
Runtime
2h 50m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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