98
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertA film like "Hoop Dreams" is what the movies are for. It takes us, shakes us, and make us think in new ways about the world around us. It gives us the impression of having touched life itself.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanHoop Dreams is an astonishing emotional experience — it has highs, lows, and everything in between.
- 100Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonHoop Dreams is the most powerful movie about sports ever made.
- 100VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyA prodigious achievement that conveys the fabric of modern American life, aspirations and incidentally, sports, in close-up and at length, Hoop Dreams is a documentary slam dunk.
- 100NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenIt's one of the richest movie experiences of the year, a spellbinding American epic that holds you firmly in its grip for nearly three hours.
- 100Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonHoop Dreams has the movie equivalent of all-court vision. It picks up everything happening in the gym, in the stands and even outside. It gives us the thrill of the game, but it doesn't cheat on either the vibrant social context or the deep human story.
- 90The New York TimesCaryn JamesThe New York TimesCaryn JamesHoop Dreams affirms the role of film as a medium for exploring social issues. And like any important documentary, this one raises crucial questions beyond what is on screen.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe rich texture of Hoop Dreams' drama is its greatest asset.
- 80EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanA truly great documentary.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleThough the movie clocks in at just under three hours, it is -- aside from an occasional slow spot -- fascinating and exciting.