A "perfect" feel-good movie

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2006)

This site shows this movie to have about the normal number of "goofs" (here, all minor) - but its "perfection" is in the fact that this is an interesting, truly uplifting story, with warm characters, outstanding performances, and an appeal to everyone, whatever sex, age, background - and equally for those who know and/or care little for the game of basketball.
There isn't a finer actor around than Gene Hackman, and Dennis Hopper is in the same league. All of the rest of the cast perform admirably, also.
With the film now 20-years-old, since it depicted events in the 1950's, 30 years prior, it is just as fresh, and even a bit more nostalgic now than when originally released.
(An interesting fact to note if you watch the film again: the actor playing Jimmy, the team's super-stat, while athletic, had not been a basket-baller in real life; whereas the shorter young man playing the team's "scrub," was the best in reality, and had to "act" to appear less-talented than he was.)