15th Anniversary of Hoop Dreams

Steve James' groundbreaking work Hoop Dreams first hit theaters 15 years ago. And, though its anniversary was last week, as I tell my girlfriend, it's never too late to acknowledge a good thing.

As many of you know, Hoop Dreams is one of the quintessential films of the documentary genre and deserves to be watched by any and everyone. The story follows two inner city Chicago kids (Arthur Agee and William Gates) as they enter high school with the dream of making it into the NBA. But, this is not a basketball story, it's the story of growing up, facing challenges and heartaches and finding peace and satisfaction in life.

Though I would love to go on and on about Hoop Dreams, I will trust my review is enough of a summary of personal conclusions. And if you want some outside insight into the documentary, look know further than the Chicago Tribune, which presented an interesting look at the film in an article released last week by Roger Ebert.