MANILA, Philippines ? Talk about uncanny foresight, Kristopher Belman began shooting his sports documentary, ?More Than a Game,? many years ago, when his subjects, LeBron James and the four other core members of the Shooting Stars basketball team weren?t even in high school. The project began as a short film for his production course in college.
What prompted him to focus on these five team players, who would eventually top a national competition and produce James, an authentic NBA superstar? Call it luck, pluck or a very educated guess, the filmmaker?s extremely good judgment has resulted in rich dividends for him, with his short film expanded to a full-length documentary that?s now showing on local screens.
Good news
How does it hold up as a 90-minute documentary? The good news is that ?More Than a Game? has more than just foresight going for it. The production is an empathetic viewing experience, because it inspires other young athletes to triumph over their own difficult circumstances to similarly win in the challenging game of life.
The story isn?t the Fab 5?s alone. Key to their success is the decision of the father of one of the team?s members to coach them, despite his relative lack of experience. His decision firmed up the team?s prospects for success, but occasionally soured up his relationship with his own son, who had a hard time dealing with the fact that his dad was also his demanding coach.
Where did one persona begin and the other end? It was a difficult sorting-out process for the teenage player to work out, but it had to be done.
Each team member is profiled, leading up to the sharpest and longest focus on LeBron James, by far the team?s best and most celebrated star. The film?s exclusive footage showing James honing his skills in basketball almost 10 years ago is truly choice, and should inspire other youths to work as hard as he obviously did.
In addition, ?More Than a Game? shows the other side of sports celebrity by recalling how James had to go through the proverbial needle?s eye to pass stringent standards governing amateur sports figures.
Even when they?ve become really famous, they are inhibited from accepting any form of remuneration. In this connection, LeBron was temporarily suspended for a relatively minor infraction.
Early footage
Of course, James is earning millions of dollars now, but the movie?s early footage should caution other prospective amateur players on how to conduct themselves scrupulously in the course of their own careers, before they turn professional.
The film?s other cautionary notes involve the dangerous importunings of precocious celebrity, with the Shooting Stars losing two key championship games, because they thought they couldn?t do anything wrong. Those warnings shouldn?t be disregarded by other young players, as well.
?More Than a Game? has its low moments, which could have been boosted with more judicious and efficient editing, but viewers should remember that the filmmaker was only a student when he first shot footage for his movie. Despite its lapses, the movie?s inspirational value can neither be diminished nor denied.
