I have to say it this IS THE BEST SPORTS MOVIE EVER MADE!!! If ever there was a basketball film that made you stand up and cheer, this one is it!
Even Stephen A. Smith, that crazy dog sports critic on ESPN, loved this film - what does that tell you? Granted this film may not be academy award material, but the photography and music alone make this a worthwhile film. So if you are bored on a Sunday afternoon, especially if it is the dead of autumn...this is a great one to curl up to and watch. And you will cry. Boy, you will cry.
I won't carry on forever but I should say that this film is something of a well-kept secret it seems. One thing about "little gems" like this one is that if you hype them too much they become something else. If you see this movie with expectations too high then you might be disappointed, if on the other hand you watch it expecting to see one of the best low key character dramas you've probably seen in a while then you'll feel rewarded. Ultimately this is a film driven by SIX great performances (that's one for every member of the ensemble and another by the filmmaker). What is there to say, they were all flawless and not once did the writing sink into cliché or formula. For once it was just great to watch a movie where, personally, every time I thought I knew what would happen, my expectations were defied. I'm not talking about any, now all too popular; so-called clever twists but just subtle turns in unexpected directions. In other words this is truthful cinema at its best, unexpected in the way life often really is. GOD IS AT THE CENTER.
To say that 'Slamma' is simply an allegory for faith in God is far too reductionist when discussing a film that has this much to say. Of course the film could be read this way but I feel religious or political undertones are the in-essentials of this story. What is essential is the recognition of a little of ourselves in these characters that have been drawn so well, bitterness, regret, self-pity, greed, lust, bigotry but also love, sacrifice, forgiveness are all here in all characters and in more or less equal measure and depending on your point of view they have nothing to do with religion. In short no one in this movie seems constructed, they simply live and breath the way we all try to, the lesson if any is simply to admit to some or all of those qualities in ourselves and to try and live a little better.
I start getting choked up about 20 minutes in and it goes all the way to the end. The guy who played Diggs is fabulous in sometimes understated role as a former slam dunk champion out of high school, I don't know if there's ever been a sports movie tour de force like this one. The dunking stuff is spot on, the music fantastic and the supporting cast (particularly the mother) is wonderful. My favorite moment, of many moments, is when the mother collapses and goes to the hospital.
It's a feel good story with a somewhat slow introduction and it can be slow at times but you must be patient with this movie. Once it gets into the thick of things (the games) it really tenses up.
It's rather hard to say anything that hasn't already been said about this film and it's easy to tell I'm one of this film's major fans. To me this is storytelling at its very best as the film manages to show why sports remain so powerful and how they can touch so many lives of people who came to the theater with me - CHICAGO BABY.
Again, a truly mesmerizing movie that makes you feel good - WATCH SLAMMA JAMMA! BE PATIENT - BECAUSE ALL GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME
