Shooting Stars

PG-13

2023

1 hr. 55 min.

Biography

Drama

Sports

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54%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Shooting Stars is set in the 1990s, where a young LeBron James (Marquis "Mookie" Cook) and his three best friends -- Lil Dru (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills, Jr., Swagger) and Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage, Cobra Kai)--declare themselves the "Fab Four," after the famed Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" of that era. From the moment we meet them, we realize this group of friends, under the guidance of coach Dru Joyce (Wood Harris; Creed franchise), is connected by more than basketball. So, when the coach at the top basketball school in their district threatens to separate them by putting Lil Dru on junior varsity, the Fab Four decide to switch schools to be able to play varsity together, joining the team at a predominantly white Catholic school instead. The community takes this as an insult, but the boys' dedication to each other is more important than anything else. With their new coach (Dermot Mulroney; August: Osage County), a disgraced former college coach seeking redemption of his own, the boys, along with former rival and new teammate Romeo Travis (newcomer Sterling "Scoot" Henderson), will face battles not only on the court but in real life, in their quest to become national champs, and will rediscover that what matters most about the game is the people playing beside you.

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Critics Consensus

Although Shooting Stars isn't without its engaging moments, this dramatized look back at LeBron James' early years is less entertaining than simply watching him play.

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Jerod S

Man, this makes Lebron's early high school career look dull. It doesn't capture the thrill of his talent or the tension of the controversy of his suspension.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/24

Full Review

Lloyd S

Don't expect something special or inspiring, it's just a biopic of Lebron James childhood.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/24

Full Review

BallisticzsGaming R

Shooting Stars is a biographical sports drama that follows the high school basketball career of LeBron James and his team called the Fab 5. This story is said to be his origin story that led him to the NBA. The movie stars Caleb McLaughlin, Marquis Cook, and Wood Harris. The one thing that made this movie really work for me is the dynamic that was the Fab 4 and then became the Fab 5 when Romeo came into the picture. I feel like almost everyone can relate to having that group of friends in school that you went everywhere with and did everything with. This movie is also more than just a LeBron biography as the story deals with the topics of how friendship, teamwork, and family can help people overcome challenges. One of the best things about this movie was how they showed how LeBron became egotistical and the people around him started to take notice and had to help humble him. It was clear that all 5 of this team had great passion for the game and once things started to get serious, Sian even said that it wasn't fun anymore due to the competitive nature of trying to make it big and to compete with LeBron's standout skills. This movie just felt really real and grounded and is just a story of passionate kids grinding and hustling to the top and mastering their craft. I do feel like this movie could be slow for some but I myself usually get entertained by inspiring stories like this, especially with the incredible acting and writing. Overall, Shooting Stars is a really solid biographical film about 5 brothers who were passionate for the same game where there's drama, drive, and determination which comes off as entertaining for basketball fans and people who enjoy great inspirational stories. Shooting Stars gets a B+.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/17/23

Full Review

RACHAEL C

Loved this definitely worth a watch

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

Full Review

Giorgio G

As lame and boring as 90% of movies about a certain sports star or team. There is nothing interesting about this story, besides, maybe, a few game scenes, but then you can just as easily go to any sport channel and enjoy some great action without the endless teeny talk which fills this movie. 2/10 points

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

Full Review

Professor P

W movie, represented the struggles LeBron faced while growing up without focusing to heavily on him by sharing the spotlight to the other characters in the story. A real feel good movie and entertaining movie. Basketball fans will be loving this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

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Chris Robinson

Director

Wood Harris

Dru Joyce

Marquis Mookie Cook

LeBron James

Caleb McLaughlin

Lil Dru

Natalie Paul

Gloria James

Algee Smith

Ilya McGee

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Shooting Stars: Exclusive Movie Clip - We Don't Need You

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Shooting Stars: Trailer 1

2:26

Shooting Stars: Teaser Trailer 2

1:19

Shooting Stars: Teaser Trailer

0:30

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Samantha Bergeson

indieWire

With James’ Springhill Company behind the movie, we only see the sweet friendships, the glory of victory, and of course, James’ iconic celebrity. Too bad a lay-up of a biography isn’t interesting at all.

Rated: C-

Jun 15, 2023

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Every moment and image is so perfectly shaped and presented, and rings so true, that you can imagine the same story being told, beat-for-beat, with a cast of invented characters and being every bit as satisfying.

Rated: 4/4

Jun 9, 2023

Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Unfortunately, LeBron James is the least interesting part of this LeBron James origin story... But this is a nice, inspiring film.

Jun 6, 2023

Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

This movie is similar to other sports-centered biographical dramas, but it is different in that LeBron James, and even basketball itself, both are benched in favor of showing how friendship, teamwork and family help people overcome life's challenges.

Rated: B

Nov 17, 2023

Full Review

Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

A most conventional TV film... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

LaNeysha Campbell

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Shooting Stars is more than just a retelling of LeBron’s inspiring rise to fame and basketball prowess. At its core, this film is about friendship, cherishing those bonds, and growing up.

Rated: 7.5/10

Jun 9, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Shooting Stars is set in the 1990s, where a young LeBron James (Marquis "Mookie" Cook) and his three best friends -- Lil Dru (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills, Jr., Swagger) and Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage, Cobra Kai)--declare themselves the "Fab Four," after the famed Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" of that era. From the moment we meet them, we realize this group of friends, under the guidance of coach Dru Joyce (Wood Harris; Creed franchise), is connected by more than basketball. So, when the coach at the top basketball school in their district threatens to separate them by putting Lil Dru on junior varsity, the Fab Four decide to switch schools to be able to play varsity together, joining the team at a predominantly white Catholic school instead. The community takes this as an insult, but the boys' dedication to each other is more important than anything else. With their new coach (Dermot Mulroney; August: Osage County), a disgraced former college coach seeking redemption of his own, the boys, along with former rival and new teammate Romeo Travis (newcomer Sterling "Scoot" Henderson), will face battles not only on the court but in real life, in their quest to become national champs, and will rediscover that what matters most about the game is the people playing beside you.

Director: Chris Robinson
Executive Producer: Gretel Twombly
Screenwriter: Frank E. Flowers, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor
Distributor: Peacock
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Cold Front Productions, Tangerine Pictures, SpringHill Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive References|Teen Drinking|Strong Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 2, 2023

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