Making men cry

More than a game-There’s no better way to make a grown man cry than a sports movie.
There are certain types of films that transcend the festival and attract a much different demographic than the backpack-porting bespectacled TIFF afficianado. At the beginning of the film the programmer asked for a show of hands for festival virgins and over half of the patrons in the Ryerson raised their hands. The theatre was full of young basketball fans straining for a glimpse of LeBron James. They got that and much more. The ten second pitch could be ‘Hoop Dreams with a happy ending’. The film gives the viewer a unique representation of a group of young black American males who create their own nuclear family out of a basketball team. I found myself identifying most with Romeo-if only because he is described as someone who wakes up angry. LeBron’s growing celebrity throughout the years only seems to be an issue with the media and other teams. His teammates never appear to be affected by his popularity except to enjoy the reflected spotlight.
Almost all of the usual sports clichés are present and accounted for, and yet when the coach says he cares more about making them men than winning you believe it.