Forced Film 2018 #4 – Amateur (2018)

This is the fourth of 6 films that I was “forced” to watch by my fellow bloggers who participated in my Blogiversary Contest back in April.  This movie was chosen by Darren.  Tnx for the suggestion.  Let’s see what I thought of it….

“Nah, I’m just crashing with the team for a while. You know, it’s tough being a coach’s wife, especially when you have 12 boys ” – Coach Gaines

Number of Times Seen – 1 (13 Nov 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A young basketball star is recruited by a leading high school in order to help them win games but also to further his career with much more media exposure.

My Take on it – This is definitely a film that I probably never would have come across had it not been “assigned” to me by Darren.

The overall idea is quite fascinating and it works so well largely due to the fact that it deals with a very relevant topic that keeps coming up in the news recently.

The idea of how young athletes are used and abused by their caregivers and the system is not a new concept for films, but this film gives us a unique perspective on the whole situation.

The system is used as both an advantage and disadvantage for these talented young athletes who only want to play the game yet are abused into playing under false circumstances beyond their control.

Josh Charles is great here as the coach of the basketball team especially since it is vastly different from the kind of roles he has played in the past and this actually helps keep the story even more realistic.

There are some very quirky scenes that pop up throughout the film and they seem very out of place which takes away slightly from the genuine feeling of it all.

Overall tho, they do a nice job depicting the various options available to young athletes trying to find a path to greatness in a system filled with corruption at every rung of the ladder.

Bottom Line – Fascinating idea that works because it is such a relevant topic. The idea of young sports stars being used for their talent is not a new concept but this film manages to show the way that the system is used both as an advantage and disadvantage for these talented young athletes. Charles is great in a role that seems quite different from what he has played in the past and this helps make the story feel even more realistic. The story has some very quirky scenes that seem slightly out of place, but overall it does a nice job trying to show how things work in the sports system. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Basketball game scenes were filmed at Denver South High School in Denver, CO. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)

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