REVIEW: ‘More Than A Game’

The filmmaking adage goes, “The best documentaries are more unbelievable than scripted dramas, because only truth can be stranger than fiction.” This is certainly applicable to “More Than A Game,” the account of a high school basketball team that went from inner-city obscurity in Akron, Ohio to national champions in 2002. There’s also a small matter of the team’s star player, LeBron James, who went on to be an international NBA superstar.

Filmmaker Kristopher Belman grew up in Akron, and looked to document the basketball team at Saint Vincent-Saint Mary’s as they went to the Ohio State championships for a film class project at Loyola Marymount. His timing couldn’t have been worse, as the crushing hype surrounding James kicked into high gear literally the same month that Belman approached the school and coach Dru Joyce II about the 10-minute short. Joyce trusted Belman enough to give him access to the team through their senior year, and their run up to the national championship.

Belman focuses on the team dynamic rather than on James, and its that focus that helps put the team’s growth and accomplishments into a better perspective. The four kids met as gym rats at a Salvation Army basketball court, working their way to the Under/6th Grade AAU National Championships, and decided to attend Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School – a predominately white school – as a foursome.

The St. Vincent-St. Mary's Irish: Sian Cotton, LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis and Willie McGee

Knowing that the team actually made it through the various problems the spotlight can produce, from complacency to scrutinized personal decisions, makes the story that much more compelling. Each player has a rich backstory, and Belman takes care to show the person behind the player.

The film’s expert use of archival pictures is unique, especially the re-rendering of the pictures into an almost three-dimensional layout. It helps draw the viewer into the story, and it’s as masterful a use of photos as I’ve seen in a sports documentary made by anyone outside of Ken Burns.

Sports documentaries are generally cookie-cutter affairs, with equal dollops of heartwarming inspiration and soul-wrenching defeat. “More Than A Game” avoids many of the pitfalls that could have made for a boring “rags-to-riches” story, and instead provides a genuinely entertaining, well-crafted film experience.