The Heart of the Game (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Ward Serrill

Writer:

Ward Serrill (written by)

Release Date:

7 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Tagline:

THE HEART OF THE GAME captures the passion and energy of a Seattle high school girls' basketball team, the eccentricity of their unorthodox coach, and the incredible true story of one player's fight to play the game she loves.

Plot:

A documentary Roosevelt Roughriders, a girls' high-school basketball team in Seattle, and one player's fight to regain her eligibility to play. |

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | High School | Seattle Washington | Female Athlete | Sexism

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Ludacris	...	Narrator (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Darnellia Russell	...	Herself
Bill Resler	...	Himself
Devon Crosby Helms	...	Herself (as Devon Crosby-Helms)
Meghan Miller	...	Herself
Jade White	...	Herself
Lindsey Wilson	...	Herself
Mike 'Riderman' Silva	...	Himself
Emily Watson	...	Herself
Hillary Seidel	...	Herself
Aaron Jack	...	Himself
Maria Mendoza	...	Herself
Keasha Beward	...	Herself
April Swafford	...	Herself
Maude Lepley	...	Herself

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

97 min | Canada:102 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Woody Creek Productions

Quotes:

Bill Resler: Devour the moose!

Movie Connections:

References Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)

Soundtrack:

Believe It

Excellent documentary

I was a volunteer at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival this year, so I got to sneak into a few movies for free. I wasn't too excited about Heart of the Game, but once it started . . . I was hooked.

Everybody in the movie is lovable. Every last one of them, from what I saw.

It's a lot funnier than I was expecting. I was thinking this would be a depressing, boring something-or-other, but it wasn't. It was actually a fairly lighthearted look at the team, up until the ending, which I won't ruin.

It's very funny, too. The interviewees cracked me up; they were just so likable.

Bill Resler (the coach) did a Q&A after the film was over, and I've gotta tell you -- he's a great guy. Hilarious. He's got a great screen presence, too.

I know I'm not qualified to comment on this, as I missed roughly forty minutes because I was assigned to another venue right smack-dab in the middle of this movie, but I loved what I saw, and I'll be the first in line to see this when it comes back around in June.

Highly recommended.