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1
Love,
2002, 93 minutes, Rated PG
By Ramona Prioleau
Pedantic
in its presentation, 1 Love is a documentary that traces the evolution
of basketball and its development into an entertainment enterprise
with universal appeal. Directed by Leon Gast (When
We Were Kings), the documentary's central themes are the
sport's genesis as an extracurricular outlet and its transition to a
game overshadowed by marquee professional productions embellished
with street ball electricity.
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One of the film's most poignant
segments features street ball legends Joe Hammond and Pee Wee
Kirkland, who respectively symbolize opportunity lost and redirected
potential. Both Hammond and Kirkland became famous in the renowned
Harlem Rucker league. Hammond lacked the foresight to transition to a
professional league and got too caught up in the street life, which
hampered his ball game. However, Kirkland flipped the script when life
threw him an errant bounce pass and has dedicated his time to
schooling younger generations in fundamental basketball skills.
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The film
is at its best when it centers on the game's allure to millions far
and wide and in towns big and small. But it suffers when the spotlight
shifts to pro-ball prima donnas and the league that stages the
dribbling divas. Although marketed on the strength of the big name
hoop stars that appear in the documentary, the film is its most
appealing when focusing on the stories of ball players who are not
ridiculously overexposed. Anecdotes of Hoosier hysteria and a pickup
game with a fire escape hoop and a rock fashioned from crumpled
newspapers are gems.
Skip past the insignificant filler mouthed by the
likes of Kobe, Shaq and coach Phil Jackson; ponder the depth of
Iverson's answer; but spend time getting to know the tragic tale of a
street ball legend, the war stories of senior ballers kibitzing in a
Florida diner and the everyday reflections of folk that have a passion
for the round ball and the swish.
M
December 2003
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