Shooting Stars

With James’ Springhill Company behind the movie, we only see the sweet friendships, the glory of victory, and of course, James’ iconic celebrity. Too bad a lay-up of a biography isn’t interesting at all.

Every moment and image is so perfectly shaped and presented, and rings so true, that you can imagine the same story being told, beat-for-beat, with a cast of invented characters and being every bit as satisfying.

Unfortunately, LeBron James is the least interesting part of this LeBron James origin story... But this is a nice, inspiring film.

Basically “It takes a village to raise an all-star,” it’s a familiar B-level sports story about the strains of success buoyed only slightly by its talented young cast.

This adaptation of Lebron James’s and Buzz Bissinger’s 2009 book would have done better as a six-to-eight-hour limited series. There’s a compelling story here, but this version isn’t it.

Shooting Stars is an entertaining docudrama that rarely digs beneath the surface but serves as a bright and inspirational reminder of a time when basketball was the glue forging a bond.

This movie is similar to other sports-centered biographical dramas, but it is different in that LeBron James, and even basketball itself, both are benched in favor of showing how friendship, teamwork and family help people overcome life's challenges.

A most conventional TV film... [Full review in Spanish]

Shooting Stars is more than just a retelling of LeBron’s inspiring rise to fame and basketball prowess. At its core, this film is about friendship, cherishing those bonds, and growing up. 



Even as it struggles to maintain a rhythm with its narrative, the film is engaging enough to recommend, thanks largely to Cook and his on-screen teammates.