Although this is never less than watchable, you can't help feeling that it would have been a better film if they'd waited a year or so and actually included details of the players' futures.
Comment
10/10/08
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (2008)
75
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:30
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves his worth as a director with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006.
Theatrical Release:10-10-2008
Synopsis: On the corner of 155th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard in Harlem lies Rucker Park. By appearances, the concrete pavement, anchored on one side by its run down slab bleachers, is no different than... [More]
Reviews for Gunnin' for That #1 Spot
To concentrate on the film you have to be a basketball fan, or just a basket case.
10/10/08
Unlike the 1994 basketball doc Hoop Dreams, which investigated collateral issues of education, race and money, this merely sets a twitchy hip-hop soundtrack to an unenlightening parade of eager sporting wannabes.
10/10/08
OK, so it’s not quite as searching as Hoop Dreams, but it’s hugely enjoyable all the same and boasts – as you’d expect – a terrific soundtrack.
10/10/08
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s basketball diary is of limited general appeal.
10/10/08
A ho-hum basketball documentary.
10/10/08
Top CriticThis is just a dull promotional video.
10/10/08
Top CriticThe slow-motion footage of these athletes showing off their macho skills is generously underpinned by rumbling hip-hop. Great nightclub wallpaper.
10/10/08
Top CriticAt the heart of everything there's Yauch, directing with remarkable authority for someone who's pretty new to the director's chair.
10/10/08
Top CriticA spunky, impassioned and resourceful doc on the cutthroat world of US college basketball made for a pittance by Adam Yauch.
10/10/08
Top CriticAs a tribute to the game and its accessibility to all, Gunnin’ is hard to beat.
10/10/08
Top CriticThe extraordinary athleticism and skills of these teenagers, all prime prospects for eventual NBA stardom, makes this a game you really want to see.
06/27/09
Spot provides the basics with foot-tapping, head-bobbing flamboyance, providing the viewer with a serious helping of heart, soul, and scorching basketball action blended up into a taut, explosive documentary.
10/28/08
In the opening section of the film, we get to know them through interviews, game footage and scenes of family life. It's here where the film shines, giving us a glimpse into what it's like for young athletes being groomed for the NBA.
07/11/08
It's a fly-on-the-wall look at eight prodigiously talented kids hooking up to play ball in the big city, and as such, it's a great deal of fun.
07/11/08
A funkier, shallower version of 1994's Hoop Dreams, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's doc follows eight high school basketball phenoms as they head to Harlem's asphalt mecca, Rucker Park, to take part in 2006's Elite 24 tournament.
07/03/08
Gunnin’ is everything the fatuous, condescending Hoop Dreams was not.
07/02/08
Shining a light on eight of the brightest stars in American high school basketball, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot is a refreshing and thrilling reminder of why we watch and why they play.
06/30/08
I daresay the results would inspire Eisenstein himself to proffer an affirming nod from the great beyond.
06/28/08
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot is a basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a Hong Kong wire-fu epic.
06/27/08
Latest News for Gunnin' for That #1 Spot
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