Pistol: The Birth of a Legend (1991)
A story about the great basketball player "Pistol" Pete Maravich when he was in the eighth grade. He plays on the varsity basketball team at Daniel High School but has some very difficult obstacles standing in his way of playing. The only support he has is from his father, retired basketball pro Press Maravich.
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Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
Pretty Good
Expected more
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
I mention the Omega Code because it is my personal benchmark of bad movies promoted by Christian ministries (i.e. Paul & Jan Crouch of TBN).I had never heard of this movie until recently receiving a promotional e-mail from the American Family Association (Don Wildmon), which by the way, had bad (404) links anyway.With the NBA finals going on, I decided to rent it from NetFlix. I have to agree with most of the comments from the last two posters and disagree with most of the comments from other admirers who must be suffering from 1 Corinthians 13:12 ('seeing dimly').The film was a big disappointment. The acting, writing, and more importantly -- the directing, was some of the worst I have seen. I had hoped to see a true biography of Maravich's life and accomplishments -- not a snapshot of one year (8th grade) in his life.Certainly none of the content is offensive in the movie (unless you consider 'butthead' vulgar), and if your child is involved in PIP and/or Upward Basketball, you'll recognize many of the drills.
Great film, and Adam Guier really acted well, showing the great determination of Pete, along with the talent of the writers and directors, who really made you feel like you were part of Pete's story. It is not a well known film, but this does not mean it is bad, or obscure or anything like that. It really inspires me and it can be easily watched over and over again. I will never get tired of this film.It is a fantastic piece of cinema that I think deserves more recognition than it gets. I would recommend it to anyone, even non-basketball fans. If you ever get a chance to see, rent or buy this film, don't pass it up, I promise you, you will not regret it.
If you can find it, this movie is worth watching. It features superb acting and relatively good sports footage. But the most attractive thing about this movie is its family orientation. There is virtually nothing objectional in the movie, yet it doesn't suffer from a Disney-ish G-rated feeling. It seems like real life in a loving family environment. Of special note is the delicately handled relationship between Pete and his father.Overall, this is a magnificent sports movie and a great any-movie. Worth renting or buying if the opportunity presents itself.
This film won't impress you with special effects or big-name stars, but it's the type of film that you enjoy so much that you're saddened when it's over. Any basketball fan must view this inspirational homage to Pete Maravich, although non-fans will still appreciate the heart of this little film.