Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams

An Extraordinary True Story.

PG-13 1994 · 174 min · ★ 7.6 · Documentary

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.

Directed by Steve James · Written by Frederick Marx

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

William Gates Self
Arthur Agee Self
Emma Gates Self - William's Mother
Curtis Gates Self - William's Brother
Sheila Agee Self - Arthur's Mother
Arthur 'Bo' Agee Self - Arthur's Father
Earl Smith Self - Talent Scout
Gene Pingatore Self - High School Basketball Coach
Isiah Thomas Self - Professional Basketball Player
Sister Marlyn Hopewell Self - High School Guidance Counselor
Bill Gleason Self - Television Reporter
Patricia Weir Self - President, Encyclopedia Brittanica

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

4h 17m together

Hoop Dreams

In the Family

Both from Steve James.

More from Steve JamesSee all →

America to Me

America to Me · 2018

SeriesDocumentary

A year-long immersion into one of Chicago's most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park. Both intimate and epic, exploring America's charged state of race, culture and education today with unprecedented depth and scope.

City So Real

City So Real · 2020

SeriesDocumentary

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James’ fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and the tumultuous 2020 summer of COVID-19 and social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd.

In the Family

In the Family · 2008

MovieDocumentary

At 31, filmmaker Joanna Rudnick faces an impossible decision: remove her breasts and ovaries or risk incredible odds of developing cancer. Armed with a genetic test result that leaves her vulnerable and confused, she balances dreams of having her own children with the unnerving reality that she is risking her life by holding on to her fertility.

Let the Little Light Shine

Let the Little Light Shine · 2022

Let the Little Light Shine

MovieDocumentary

When a thriving, top-ranked African American elementary school is threatened to be replaced by a new high school favoring the community’s wealthier residents, parents, students and educators fight for the elementary school’s survival.

Minding the Gap

Minding the Gap · 2018

Minding the Gap

MovieDocumentary

Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

Storyville

Storyville · 1997

SeriesDocumentary

Showcasing the best in international documentaries, Storyville has developed an enviable reputation since its inception more than a decade ago. Screening over 340 films, from some 70 different countries, the strand has garnered a staggering array of awards: five Oscars, 15 Griersons, three Peabodys and two International Emmys. In true, unique, Storyville style, the new series promises to deliver the strand's usual eclectic mix of compelling stories from across the globe.

Life Itself

Life Itself · 2014

MovieDocumentary

The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.

30 for 30

30 for 30 · 2009

SeriesDocumentary

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

Edith+Eddie

Edith+Eddie · 2017

MovieDocumentary

Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their unusual and idyllic love story is threatened by a family feud that triggers a devastating abuse of the legal guardianship system.

Heartbeats

Heartbeats · 2010

MovieDramaRomance

Francis is a young gay man, Marie is a young straight woman and the two of them are best friends -- until the day the gorgeous Nicolas walks into a Montreal coffee shop. The two friends, instantly and equally infatuated, compete for Nicolas' indeterminate affections, a conflict that climaxes when the trio visit the vacation home of Nicolas' mother. The frothy comedy unfolds through narrative, fantasy sequences and confessional monologues.

We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss

We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss · 2014

We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss

MovieDocumentary

Everyone’s talking about it, but who can explain it? Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions and Morgan Spurlock’s Cinelan have partnered to produce WE THE ECONOMY 20 Short Films You Can’t Afford to Miss. Each film is helmed by an acclaimed filmmaker, each with their own creative vision. The series aims to drive awareness and establish a better understanding of the U.S. economy. Told through animation, comedy, musical, non-fiction, and scripted films, WE THE ECONOMY seeks to demystify a complicated topic while empowering the public to take control of their own economic futures.

Stevie

MovieDocumentaryDrama

In 1995 Director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) returned to rural Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, a troubled young boy he had been an 'Advocate Big Brother' to ten years earlier.

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson · 2010

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

MovieDocumentary

Director Steve James returns to his home town of Hampton, Virginia to tell the story of how the trial of a young basketball star left a city divided.

The Interrupters

The Interrupters · 2011

The Interrupters

MovieDocumentary

The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters — former gang members who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once caused.

The Rescue List

The Rescue List · 2018

The Rescue List

MovieDocumentary

Two boys escape from slavery, spend a year in a rehabilitation shelter, and eventually reunite with their families. Meanwhile, the man who rescued them launches another mission to liberate more children.

Reel Paradise

Reel Paradise · 2005

MovieDocumentary

Former indie film "guru" John Pierson takes his family to Fiji for one year to run the world's most remote movie theater.

More Like This

Touching the Void

Touching the Void · 2003

Touching the Void

MovieDocumentaryAction

The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Maradona by Kusturica

Maradona by Kusturica · 2008

Maradona by Kusturica

MovieDocumentary

A documentary on Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the world's greatest modern player.

More on MaxSee all →

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone · 2001

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.

The Batman

The Batman · 2022

MovieCrimeMystery

In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler.

Interstellar

Interstellar · 2014

MovieAdventureDrama

The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King · 2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

MovieAdventureFantasy

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two · 2024

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Supergirl

Supergirl · 2026

MovieActionAdventure

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

Inception

Inception · 2010

MovieActionScience Fiction

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight · 2008

The Dark Knight

MovieActionThriller

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th · 1980

Friday the 13th

Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

Dune

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence - a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential - only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets · 2002

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

MovieAdventureFantasy

Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban · 2004

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter's life is in danger once more as dangerous wizard Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison and is heading to Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire · 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

MovieAdventureFantasy

When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools. Signs of Voldemort's return emerge as Harry's friends help him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament.

The Matrix

The Matrix · 1999

MovieActionScience Fiction

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie · 2025

A Minecraft Movie

MovieFamilyFantasy

Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 · 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.

Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II · 2026

Mortal Kombat II

MovieActionFantasy

The fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Superman

Superman · 2025

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring · 2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

MovieAdventureFantasy

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Joker

MovieCrimeThriller

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter