In 1974
Sports Illustrated writer Rick Telander spent a season observing life on New York City's public basketball courts. The resulting memoir,
Heaven Is a Playground, is a fascinating document that weaves sports into sociology with its depiction of disenfranchized young Blacks for whom
the game of basketball is no mere diversion but a self-defining discipline, an extended family, and--if they're good enough--a ticket out of the ghetto via college athletic scholarships. It's an illuminating read for sports fans and non-fans alike. This movie version relocates the action to
Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood and spreads a thick layer of fiction over...
Released:
1992
Rated:
R
Length:
111 mins