If you don’t know by now you should know that I’m a huge sports fan and on top of that a huge sports movie fan. I just love mixing my two favorite things. Sometimes they don’t work out, but other times, such as with Rez Ball, they work together with great results. I’ve seen a lot of inspiring sports films, but Rez Ball caught me by surprise because I heard about this story. I watched the segment of The Scott Van Pelt show this story was featured on. So it came as a surprise to me that a movie was made about this story. Like all true stories though there is more to it than meets the eye.

This movie focuses on Chuska High School which is on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. After a tragedy happens in the community the team led by Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt) starts to falter. The team has taken the loss to heart. The coach Heather Hobbs (Jessica Hatten), an Ex-WNBA star from this reservation has to figure out a way to motivate these boys in a time of solace. It’s easier said than done. She falls back on her past as a high school player at this school and confronts the leader of her team to be the captain. This changes everything moving forward.

As I mentioned every story has multiple sides to it and this one is no different. The side of the story that was seen on the Scott Van Pelt show was only a small part of this film. There are subplots within this movie that deal with other characters. One is the mother of the captain of the Warriors, Gloria (Julia Jones). Her ark along with her son’s is the meat and potatoes of this story. Usually, it’s the father figure who has an ark like this. This film turns that plot device on its head in a good way. No spoilers though.

I’ve been an assistant coach in high school basketball for about 25 years give or take. I’ve seen a lot of things in my day. There are all kinds of ways coaches or things that can motivate kids to play better or believe in a greater cause. Music is one of them, even other coaches who give inspirational speeches can work on young people. I’ve seen it all in my day. The kids on this team have a saying I wasn’t familiar with, but I loved it when I heard them say it and it’s “Stoodis” short for Let’s do this. I love that kind of thing in a true sports movie. It’s authentic to the story and has meaning in the end.

One of the things in sports films I always look for is how authentic said sports are played in the movie. Some you can tell are totally fake or amateurish looking. Others are very real and instantly suck me into the film. This one was very well done regarding the basketball that was being played by everybody. The passing, dribbling, and shooting all looked very good. The director Sydney Freeland captured this part of the story perfectly for my liking. I’ve recommended this movie to a friend who is a basketball coach. I liked it very much.

The cast are predominantly made up of Indigenous people. This film represents the Navajo and the Indigenous culture as a whole. All the actors played their part in giving a voice to a group of people that aren’t always seen on the big or small screen. Lately that has changed for the better. I loved seeing all the actors on the team as players and others that played people in the town. The two best for my liking are Julia Jines and Jessica Hatten. They are both superb in this true Basketball film.

I’ve seen a few basketball films in my time and Rez Ball is one of the best I’ve seen in the sub-genre of sports Movies. With Hoosiers being the top of the mountain of basketball films. If I’m not mistaken this film may have used the picket fence play from Hoosiers in its climactic scene. I could be wrong, but it seemed awfully familiar to me. I love it when newer movies pay homage to classic films like that. This one is a true example of how you make a good inspiring sports film.

Rez Ball has a lot of positives to it. First of all, the main story is based on a true story which is very inspiring on a lot of levels. The second thing that is very positive is the subplots, mainly the one involving the main kid’s mother. I could relate to this on my own in a way. The third positive is the actual basketball that is being played in this film. It’s very good and looks as authentic as I’ve ever seen. When I see the sport being played in a sports movie it needs to look real so it doesn’t take me out of the movie. I recommend this film on those three levels to any coach or sports fan.  This is a fantastic basketball and sports movie overall. 

⅘ stars

Dan Skip Allen