REVIEW: More Than a Game

By PETER HARTLAUD SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Photo by Lionsgate

LeBron James when he was a student at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in the documentary <em>More Than a Game.</em>

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — LeBron James was one of the world’s most worshipped 17-year-olds. By the time he was a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, he was traveling to games by plane, driving a Hummer to school and playing sold-out games in front of thousands of fans.

More Than a Game follows the high school career of James and four of his teammates, who battled for state and national basketball titles. Each is given approximately equal time, which may frustrate fans expecting a more conventional James documentary. And the filmmakers go a little too far with the superlatives, at times trying to portray these gifted and often immature players as bigger underdogs than they appear to be in real life. But the movie is comprehensive and interesting, offering more than a glimpseinto a fascinating world.

Director Kristopher Belman’s film began as a class project, and he went to great lengths to make sure it was about more than one man - even though that man may be the most talented basketball player on the planet. James’ teammates have good stories too, especially Dru Joyce, the diminutive point guard who scrapped his way into a starting role on one of the state’s best teams. The more recent interviews with James - who always seems to be holding the beverage of one of his sponsors - are among the duller parts of the film. Seeing the superstar through the prism of his teammates is more informative than a straightforward biography would have been.

It runs into trouble when it tries to force heroic valueon the journeys of the St. Vincent-St. Mary players, who seem insolent at times and don’t always play as a team. When Roger Bacon High School, with less talented players, upsets James and his teammates during his junior year, it’s portrayed as a tragedy. (Audience members might wish for a moment that the Roger Bacon players were the subject of the documentary.)

James is an incredibly talented and charismatic player, and seeing his development from a youngster will be an illuminating thrill for his biggest fans. But his shortcomings and slip-ups are always cast in apologistterms.

Belman does get you to care about the players, especially the ones who aren’t household names. And the final message is a strong one: Even when the starting forward is one of the best high school players ever, basketball is still a team sport.

MovieStyle, Pages 47 on 11/06/2009