There is an everlasting debate amongst basketball enthusiasts. Michael Jordan versus LeBron James for the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). This debate continually makes the rounds. Jordan's journey, beginning with his exclusion from his high school basketball team, is a known tale. Now, the spotlight turns to LeBron's story through 'Shooting Stars.’ The film is now available on Peacock and it aims to canonize his past. However, it doesn't portray a solo struggle for success. Instead, it emphasizes the collective influence a community has on the path to glory.
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'Shooting Stars' tells the story of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) youth basketball team. This is where young LeBron James (played by Marquis “Mookie” Cook) and his teammates started honing their synergy on and off the court. As the players matured, their varying skill levels began causing fissures in the team. Despite this, Dru (portrayed by Caleb McLaughlin), the smallest member, hatched a plan to avoid being overshadowed. This talented quintet transferred their skills to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, a majority-white Catholic institution in Akron.
During their first year, the group created a stir. This was primarily because Keith Dambrot (Dermot Mulroney), a former college coach, entrusted the team's growth to them. However, Dambrot soon departs, leaving Dru's father (Wood Harris) to steer the team through its escalating success. LeBron catapults to national fame by his junior year, courtesy of a Sports Illustrated cover feature. The team's bonds, once unshakeable, begin to waver under the strain. LeBron's future is well-known, but what about the remaining four?
LeBron die-hards might remember his high school journey depicted in the documentary 'More Than a Game.' In terms of storytelling, 'Shooting Stars' seems to draw parallels with 'Don't Think Twice,' which tells a tale of comedians grappling with the aftermath of one member's career skyrocketing.
Despite LeBron's real-life stardom, he's not the film's focus. Caleb McLaughlin, renowned for his role in 'Stranger Things,' upstages others with his portrayal of Dru, the smallest of the group, acting from a compelling sense of self-preservation.
The narrative of a group falling apart, be it musicians or athletes, is unfortunately a common one. Despite running slightly overlong, 'Shooting Stars' wisely concentrates on the camaraderie shared by the friends instead of immediately repositioning them as mere supporting roles to the superstar. Nevertheless, as the film progresses, it gradually becomes more LeBron-centric, slightly tarnishing its overall impact.
'Shooting Stars' manages to deliver a respectable albeit slightly tentative fictional rendition of a true story. There are missed opportunities, like failing to delve deeper into issues such as the resentment the Fab Four faced from their community in their freshman year. However, such themes are often treated as secondary.
Produced by LeBron James and his business associate Maverick Carter, 'Shooting Stars' mirrors what one might expect from a film about LeBron. Although it doesn't secure a spot in the Basketball Movie Hall of Fame, it manages to scrape together enough points for a victory.
