The Heart of the Game

Intimate, funny, moving and incredibly rousing -- even if you're allergic to sports movies.

It captures an authentic feel-good spirit and inspirational message that most Hollywood movies barely approximate.

The film is a furious full-court press, its subjects aflame with the kind of passion only youth can furnish.

The end result is an interesting documentary that is as unpolished and gutsy as the championship-caliber high school hoop stars at the other end of his camera.

The entertaining new documentary The Heart Of The Game at least acknowledges many of the same conflicts that arose in Hoop Dreams, even though it's really more about two outsized personalities and their infectious passion for the sport.

A sweet, engaging journey with the Roosevelt Roughriders, whose kindly coach encourages the girls to snarl like wolves and devour like lions.

The resulting movie (2005) covers seven years and touches on some of the same social issues that gave "Hoop Dreams" its epic sweep, yet Serrill fails to treat any of them adequately, and the narrative loses its shape as events unfold.