Passing Glory (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steve James

Writer (WGA):

Harold Sylvester (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

They didn't just make shots. They made history.

Plot:

A talented all-black high school basketball team challenges the top all-white team in civil-rights-era New Orleans.

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Priest

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Andre Braugher	...	Father Joseph Verrett
Rip Torn	...	Father Robert Grant
Sean Squire	...	Travis Porter
Ruby Dee	...	Mommit Porter
Bill Nunn	...	Howard Porter
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Mike Malone Sr.
Tony Colitti	...	Chick Viola
Anderson Bourell	...	Mike Malone Jr.
Khalil Kain	...	Heatwave Hundley
Tony Bond	...	Clanky
Khaz B	...	Boo
Darris Love	...	Antoine Toussaint
Elimu Nelson	...	Touché
Damien Dante Wayans	...	Snow Lurcher (as Damien Wayans)
Brett Rice
John Lawhorn
Shawn Wright
Tom Turbiville
Frank Hoyt Taylor
Angela Elayne Gibbs	...	Thelma Porter (as Angela Mills)
Arthur Agee	...	Ice Gainsworth
Bill Ewin	...	The Archbishop
Thomas Jefferson Byrd
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sharon Blackwood	...	Sister Marie Claire
Albert B. Cooper IV	...	The Haircut Man
Rodney A. Copeland	...	Student
Vonetta Flowers	...	Cheerer
Patrice Jackson	...	Woman at bus station
Kyle Massey	...	Principal / Dancer (as Kyle Orlando Massey)
Sahr Ngaujah	...	Lil' Ricky (as Michael Ngaujah)
Ric Reitz	...	Head Referee
Shawn Shepard	...	Rod
Robert Owen	...	Redneck in restaurant (uncredited)
Kenon Walker	...	Basketball Player (uncredited)
Amber Wallace	...	Malone's sister (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve James

Writing credits (WGA)
Harold Sylvester		(written by)

Produced by
Tamara Gregory	....	co-producer
Magic Johnson	....	executive producer
Quincy Jones	....	executive producer
David A. Rosemont	....	co-executive producer
David Salzman	....	executive producer
Jill Tanner	....	co-producer
Gordon Wolf	....	producer

Original Music by
Stephen James Taylor

Cinematography by
Bill Butler

Film Editing by
Patrick Flannery
Paul Seydor

Casting by
Jaki Brown
Shay Griffin
Robyn M. Mitchell

Production Design by
Maxine Shepard

Set Decoration by
Joseph Litsch

Makeup Department
Charles Gregory Ross	....	key hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karen Davis	....	second assistant director
Randy Fletcher	....	first assistant director
Pam Satterfield	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Frank Blair	....	assistant propmaster
Wren Boney	....	set dresser
Ted Boonthanakit	....	storyboard artist
James Brothers	....	on-set dresser
Sammy Ray Hill	....	set dresser
Lorin Semone Leifer	....	art department coordinator
Alba Leone	....	lead person
Michael Pisani	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Freddy Chancellor	....	boom operator
Tim Chilton	....	foley artist
Bob Costanza	....	sound effects editor
Mick Davies	....	utility sound
Jim Hawkins	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Steven Fagerquist	....	titles and effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Eddie Evans	....	key grip
Denny Mooradian	....	gaffer
Greg Morse	....	24 frame video
Michael Stone	....	camera operator
Fred Thomas	....	camera loader
Joseph Thomas	....	assistant camera
Grady Upchurch	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Chris Gray	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kate Sawyer	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Mara Milicevic	....	post-production assistant

Transportation Department
Susan Van Apeldoorn	....	transportation

Other crew
Rick Baca	....	payroll accountant
Robert T. Bartlett	....	production assistant
Albert B. Cooper IV	....	assistant location manager
Karen P. Morris	....	first assistant production accountant
Robin O'Brien	....	assistant production coordinator
Mike Riley	....	location manager
Katie Willard Troebs	....	production coordinator
Mark Bronson	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Magic Johnson Entertainment
• Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment
• Rosemont Productions International
• Turner Network Television (TNT)

Distributors

• Turner Network Television (TNT)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Magic Johnson Entertainment

Passing-ly decent...

I must admit that I watched picked this one up on the drawing power of Andre Braugher, based on his powerful work on the now-defunct tv series "Homicide: Life on the Street". So I guess I shouldn't be disappointed that his character in this movie strongly resembles Homicide's Frank Pembleton. (In this movie he's a Jesuit priest; in Homicide his strong moral centre arises from his Jesuit background) Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Braugher is almost always compelling when he's onscreen, exercising his range from indignant anger to his icy cold stare.

There were also some strong supporting performances, especially Bill Nunn as the concerned father of the best player on the high school team. The whole thing is apparently drawn from real life, and the background of the struggle to overcome America's apartheid system is certainly compelling.

All that said, however, this movie does have some problems. Many of these probably arise from the format- in a 90 minute made for cable movie, there isn't time to be as expansive as one would like. But still, too many of the characters are really one dimensional, and follow a pattern of set up/resolution. Rather than showing any real-life personality, they get the movie-imposed "character arc". (And pity the poor white folks in this movie; I know there's frustratingly little time to offer us more characters, but we get really no chance to get into the heads of the players on the other side of the ball and their families.) And worst of all, this movie ends with the deeply cliched BIG GAME.

Seeing as this comes from the director of the very good documentary "Hoop Dreams", I would have hoped for more investigation of the characters involved, and the circumstances of their lives, rather than more kinetic in-game action. (And, despite the executive producer presence of Magic Johnson, the basketball sequences are fairly uninspired.)

All things considered, the movie was well put together and moved along briskly. If I wasn't thrilled, at least I wasn't bored. If you like Andre Braugher, you'll probably want to see this movie, but in general, you'd probably be better off watching a few old episodes of "Homicide", and chasing that with "Hoop Dreams".

Final note: If I were making a movie about a high-school basketball team, I'd get my people to watch "Hoosiers", and then filter everything from that film out of my project. Sports are such a huge part of so many people's lives, there's got to be more stories than these movies keep on telling. In this flick, I found all the trouble that went into setting up the BIG GAME much more interesting that the game itself; why can't that be the focus?

Rating: 5 out of 10 (average). (And this factors in a bonus point for Andre Braugher)