Parents' Guide to

Hoop Dreams

Movie PG-13 1994 171 minutes
Hoop Dreams Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Hollis Griffin , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Stunning documentary addresses race and class issues.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Hoop Dreams Movie: Scene #1
  • Hoop Dreams Movie: Scene #2
  • Hoop Dreams Movie: Scene #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 3, 2022
age 13+

Top notch documentary...really for all to see and breathe in

It is easy to see why this documentary is so highly praised. It feels flawless because it takes its time and the story it is trying to tell is straight-forward but not at all simple. We grow with the prospects and are taken along on a very complex ride that exposes an intricate system that reveals itself layer by layer throughout the film. it is 2.5 hours but the time flies by because in many ways it is not enough time to reveal the lives and hopes of these young men and their families. My son is 3 and I am already plotting on when we will watch this film together, it's that important.
36chambers
36chambers Adult
December 30, 2020
age 12+

The Greatest Documentary Ever Made

Hoop Dreams is a truly special film. Following the journeys of these two boys over several years results in one of the most honest depictions of American life I have ever seen. Its long and far from visually stunning. But some incredibly moving, emotional and tense moments that make up for its faults.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

HOOP DREAMS follows the trials and tribulations of two young African-American basketball standouts from Chicago. Following the boys from eighth grade through their senior year in high school, director Steve James offers an intense look at the often depressing situation facing many young people who live in inner cities: parents, siblings, and friends all struggling with vastly limited opportunities, potentially fatal temptations, and overwhelmingly poor odds. That William Gates and Arthur Agee are gifted athletes provides them with the potential to avoid the predicaments of those they love by winning basketball scholarships to college -- and maybe, just maybe, a ticket to the NBA.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This film's greatest strength is that it is pragmatic before it is hopeful. James is careful to highlight the many obstacles standing in Gates and Agee's way: from corner drug dealers to test scores, from tuition payments at ritzy private schools to parental desertion. Rather than providing viewers with a candy-coated confection of "local boy makes good," Hoop Dreams illustrates how nearly impossible it is for such a story to even take place -- and that frequently it's a result of things completely out of the boys' control. The result is a searing portrait of inner-city life in America, and the extraordinary, downright unfair expectations placed on the shoulders of many young African-American athletes.

Hoop Dreams painstakingly tempers the romanticism characteristic high school athletes by paying special attention to the many roadblocks that stand in the way of Gates and Agee's dreams. This movie provides an excellent way for families to talk about issues such as race and class in urban America, long-term goals, teen sex and drug use, and getting good grades.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the experiences of William Gates and Arthur Agee both on and off the high school basketball court in Hoop Dreams. How are William and Arthur's high school experiences different? How are they the same? How do their family environments both help and hurt each of them?

  • How are issues of race and class intertwined, especially in urban America? What insight into those issues does this movie provide?

  • What do you think about the boys' long-term goals? What are your long-term goals?

  • Do you think the media glamorizes professional sports and sports stars? If so, is that a positive or negative thing?

  • How do William and Arthur demonstrate perseverance and teamwork in Hoop Dreams? Why are those important character strengths?

Movie Details

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