Something to Cheer About

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Something to Cheer About

2007

1h 4m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

60%

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1,000+ Ratings

Director Betsy Blankenbaker traces the incredible story of the 1955 Crispus Attucks High School basketball team. Led by Coach Ray Crowe, the inner-city Indianapolis team would become the first-ever all-black squad to win a high school state championship. Several of the team's players, including N.B.A. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Purdue standout Willie Merriweather, reflect on that 1955 season, including the hatred and racism they encountered along the way.

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Plodding but heartfelt, Something to Cheer About pays tribute to a time when basketball scholarships and professional opportunities were practically unknown. Back then, a player's only opportunity was to make history.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 30, 2007

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David Fear

Time Out

Despite a last-reel schmaltz attack, this sports doc presents its blockbuster-baiting material with unfussy immediacy and dignity.

Rated: 3/6

Apr 28, 2007

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Sam Adams

Los Angeles Times

The movie could have had much greater resonance were it not focused so monolithically on basketball. One wonders what life was like at Attucks High, or how the players' success on the court affected their lives off it.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 27, 2007

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Utterly conventional...but still works as an uplifting tale of success in adverse circumstances, and as a testimony to the power of one dedicated teacher.

Rated: B

Apr 29, 2007

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Ken Fox

TV Guide

The film is really geared toward basketball fans who won't mind the talking-heads format, and the glowing interviews that have more the tone of testimonials than a historical documentary.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 27, 2007

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Chris Hewitt

St. Paul Pioneer Press

It muddies key details (it's not clear we're seeing the '55 championship game until it's over), while never addressing others (the team's gifted coach quit in '57, but who knows why?).

Apr 27, 2007

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Audience Member

It happened during my life time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

While it's certainly an interesting story, it's worthy of a far better documentary. This was strangely impersonal, and actually kind of confusing in its chronology.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

A good film about an overlooked and important time and team. Like many similar films, it suffers from a short runtime.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

A documentary about the first all black basketball team to win state. A good story, but this doc was missing something, either in the directing or editing. It didn't have any flare.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Something to Cheer About is a moving and effective piece of filmmaking, if not a highly advanced one. The film maker's strategy was to find people who had first-hand knowledge of the Chris Attucks High basketball team, interview them and then piece together their interviews to tell a chronological story. No, it's not the most sophisticated film ever and it feels like an ESPN special, especially since it comes in at just over an hour. But, that's alright. This is a modest film with modest goals and it accomplishes what it sets out to do by showing what this team accomplished and the obstacles they overcame.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

I WOULDN'T MIND SEEING ALTHOUGH IT REMINDS ME OF COACH CARTER!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Synopsis

Director Betsy Blankenbaker traces the incredible story of the 1955 Crispus Attucks High School basketball team. Led by Coach Ray Crowe, the inner-city Indianapolis team would become the first-ever all-black squad to win a high school state championship. Several of the team's players, including N.B.A. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Purdue standout Willie Merriweather, reflect on that 1955 season, including the hatred and racism they encountered along the way.

Director: Betsy Blankenbaker
Producer: Betsy Blankenbaker
Distributor: Truly Indie
Production Co: Figaro Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.8K
Runtime: 1h 4m

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