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"Go Team on
Three... 1, 2, 3... Hey!
Where'd Everyone Go?" |
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Directed by Robert
Collector - Written by
Robert Collector
Starring Jeffrey
Donovan, Samantha
Mathis, Bruce Dern, Anne
Judson-Yager
Distributed by IFC -
2007 - Rated PG |
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Have you ever watched a WNBA basketball game? It's basketball at its
finest and, quite often, far more interesting, exciting and
competitive than anything the NBA game has to offer. I became a
season ticket-holder for Indiana's WNBA team, the Indiana Fever,
their first season in town and continue to be captivated by women's
basketball. |
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"Believe in Me" is a
tribute to girl's and women's basketball that will move you, inspire
you and entertain you despite its occasionally formulaic script and
the all-too familiar basketball flick scenario that has been handed
down through the years from "Hoosiers" to the recent "Glory Road."
While "Believe in Me" isn't nearly up to par with the nearly classic
"Hoosiers," it's a significant improvement over the hackneyed,
artificially sweetened "Glory Road." Based upon the young adult
novel "Brief Garland," "Believe in Me" is the story of Oklahoma's
legendary Jim Keith, a young assistant coach offered his dream head
coaching job for Middleton High School's boys' basketball team. The
coach (Jeffrey Donovan), known as Clay Driscoll in the film, arrives
in this small Oklahoma town with his wife (Samantha Mathis) only to
be told by the school board president and town bully (Bruce Dern)
that he won't be the boys' basketball coach, after all. Instead?
He's offered Middleton's laughably bad girls' basketball coach, the
Lady Cyclones.
If it sounds like you've seen this film before, well, you're
partially right. From the film's opening moments showing Driscoll
and his wife driving into town, the film feels an awful lot like the
sister film to much more respected "Hoosiers." Of course, it could
be worse...they could have done a shot-for-shot remake of "Glory
Road."
Groan.
Taking place in the mid-60's, "Believe in Me" is placed firmly in a
world where women are preferred barefoot and pregnant and even the
smartest girls are pretty much destined for a life as a farmer's
wife and mother in this small town, population 3,433. While the
boys' basketball team would play to a full house and be treated
royally, the Lady Cyclones often found themselves wearing hand-me
down, worn-out uniforms to sparse, unenthusiastic crowds. After all,
it didn't matter how good the girls' team really was...their destiny
was still the same, especially owing to the controlling school board
president, a man who also owned most of the town's land, the bank
and, well, you get the idea.
Long time television screenwriter Robert Collector takes a more laid
back, disciplined approach than the often combustible energy of
"Hoosiers," a feature not too unlike that of comparing the women's
game to that of the men's. While the casual pacing occasionally
feels a bit too much like a slow southern drawl, the film's just
over 2-hour runtime also allows for a more believable bond to
develop between the coach and his players.
Donovan initially feels like he's doing a better job of playing Josh
Lucas than Josh Lucas did in "Glory Road," however, once the film's
human elements begin to surface Donovan's performance becomes a
finely nuanced, inspiring and touching one that only occasionally
crosses over into corniness. Even given the occasional corny line to
deliver, Donovan's performance more resembles that of Hackman than
the aforementioned Lucas.
Likewise, Samantha Mathis gives one of her best performances in
recent years with a character far more developed than your usual
coach's wife role in sports films. She most resembles the marvelous
performance of Shannen Fields in last year's unexpected hit "Facing
the Giants." Mathis displays a marvelous chemistry with Donovan, and
instead of giving us the usual long-suffering coach's wife, Mathis
gives us a woman who is clearly a partner in this winning equation.
While motivations for his hostility aren't always crystal clear,
Bruce Dern is easy to hate as a man whose personal agenda is
practically the definition of the small-town bully. While the film's
closing scenes feel just a bit over-the-top and lacking in clarity,
it's a refreshing choice by Collector to have the bad guy end up the
film being the same old bad guy.
While the film, being distributed by IFC after a brief film festival
run, obviously lacks the production design of higher-budgeted films
like "Glory Road," "Hoosiers" or even "Blue Chips," Collector wisely
avoids trying to go for any cheap camera tricks or special effects.
Instead, Collector keeps the story straight, the action
straightforward and the storyline crystal clear. Predictable?
Perhaps, but it's also constantly inspirational.
With the exception of Heather Matarazzo (who at 24-years-old is on
the outer edge of believability), the cast of Lady Cyclones is
largely filled with unknown actresses who all perform nicely despite
their roles being a bit too one-note considering the film's length.
Matarazzo, as a senior player during the coach's first year,
continues to make the best of every role she plays and adds an
unexpected depth here, while Alicia Lagano is particularly effective
as a young player whose parental rejection causes her to leave the
team after one year, get married, have a baby and, well, you know
where this is going.
Kit Gwin ("Eve of Understanding"), Anne Judson-Yager ("Bring It On
Again"), character actor Chris Ellis and a couple WNBA cameos
spotlight the film's supporting cast.
Despite its lower budget and inevitable backseat to the box-office
success of "Glory Road," "Believe in Me" is a far more effective,
heartwarming and inspiring film for the entire family and, most
definitely, a film that would be a perfect afternoon out for
father/daughter bonding time.
In a cinematic world that far too often disrespects teenage girls,
"Believe in Me" is a rare jewel...a film that allows them to be
celebrated for all the wonderful things they are and all the things
they want to be. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
Umm...
yeah... sounds like a good film... but I have to
say that women's basketball is horrifically dull
to watch. To be fair, the regular NBA
isn't much better, but at least there is some
level of incredible athleticism. True
basketball, the way it is meant to be played, is
only available at the men's collegiate level in
schools that have veteran old-school coaches.
Women's hoops is excruciatingly painful to
endure, with lay-up after lay-up, missed jumper
after missed jumper, fast breaks that feel like
time-outs, and vertical leaps that wouldn't
clear a peanut shell.
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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