Hoop Dreams

After watching the trailer for Hoop Dreams it is clear that the main theme of the film is the overcoming of harships to reach success. In the case of this film, two black males who live in poorer areas of Chicagoland and attempt to overcome their troubles associated with living there to achieve the American dream. One problem that I have with this concept, which Bell Hooks also argues is that the film reinforces the belief that kids living in these poorer areas can only achieve success if they become rappers or basketball player. No doubt, many kids have this mentality and it would be nice to see a film which shows two inner-city kids trying to become lawyers or doctors, and become successful in the end. In her essay, Hooks also analyzes possible reasons for the popularity of the film. She believes that the film is not a great documentary, but good drama and reflect the culture's obsession with real life stories. I agree with these statements however, it remains a mystery as to why documentaries on PBS and other networks which portray black families and drama are not popular. I think it is due to the fact that the two boys in the film strive to become basketball stars, which tons of kids in poorer neighborhoods and in general idealize.