An unbelievable story, unparalleled access into the subjects’ lives, and an incredible use of basketball to tell a story so much more about the socioeconomic effects of the modern sports machine. It drags slightly at times due to an episodic edit that feels more like a TV series that has been glued together.
So many times through the course of watching this documentary, I found myself thinking “I bet the production team couldn’t believe this happened.” Whatever god there is out there knew these two stories were being perceived and threw absolutely every curveball they could. The stories of Agee and Gates differ so drastically, and the way they are juxtaposed through this doc is absolutely brilliant. It feels like at each moment things get better for Gates, Agee’s story hits a new low. When Agee’s resurgence begins, Gates’ story begins to swing. They so excellently use these drastically different stories to keep the pacing super engaging.
Early on in the doc, these two boys scouted by the same man and brought to the same school have their paths diverge, and this moment creates what I think is the most interesting aspect of this doc and what I believe it serves as such a brilliant lens into. Agee’s scholarship isn’t fully compensated; Gates’ is. And while it’s clear there is a talent gap between them from the beginning, it is this financial aspect that sets the two stories on such differing avenues. As Agee’s father struggles with drug addiction, his becomes a story of the underdog, a story of the hope that basketball can give to a young man in such a tough upbringing. Gates, via his sponsorship, is allowed to enjoy basketball at a young age, is afforded the opportunity to have top doctors helping him with his injuries, and attends a better school where he has the resources to not need summer school, affording him the ability to focus on basketball. Despite them both coming from extremely underprivileged backgrounds, this difference sets the two stories in motion for the first half of the doc.
Then the second half brilliantly shows the effects that true hunger can have on the pursuit of greatness in a sport. Despite every obstacle Agee has, he successfully uses all aspects of his surroundings as a catalyst for change. He has no other option, and the desperation motivates him in his pursuit of greatness. Meanwhile, the pressure of expectation and the effect it can have on someone’s relationship with their passion becomes Gates’ story. He has a child, and his relationship with the game changes. The injuries that once motivated him to recover now jade him. You feel his love for the game slowly drained out of him. Exciting team Jordan summer camps turn into injury‑ridden turmoil, and as the post‑credits scene shows, he is driven to the point of completely giving up on the game. This act serves to show how different personalities can react to pressure and how seemingly small variables can affect a person’s pursuit of success and their relationship with failure.
As mentioned above, at times it does feel like the pacing can be off. My understanding is this was initially expected to be an episodic documentary, and this shows in the final product. There are certain story arcs where the doc lingers on unnecessary context in order to build out certain arcs of the story in a way that might feel like a build to the crescendo of an episode, but then when this just flows into another day in the life, it can feel jarring.
From seeing up close footage of knee surgeries, to being in the homes for family turmoil and seeing the effects of drug and domestic abuse up close and personal, this documentary takes what is such an improbable story and gives the viewer absolutely every angle they could want. With two stories that start so similar and weave such differing tales, it’s easy to see why this is such a universally revered documentary.
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