Game follows a high school student, AJ, who shows up at the basketball team tryouts. Noticeably shorter and less physically imposing, AJ is at first disregarded, before proving to possess better skills and stamina than most. Butting heads with the team’s all star, cocky bully Collins, AJ must overcome physical and verbal challenges in order to gain a place on the team.
Through no fault of its own, the beginning of the film is unfortunately reminiscent of Troy Bolton singing about his teen angst. Luckily, that memory is quickly dispelled. For viewers who have never participated in, or seen, a game of basketball, the film goes to lengths to make the sport accessible. Much of the plot relies on terminology, but after seeing the short, I feel comfortable in saying that: a ‘point guard’ is position filled by the best player on the team, and ‘travelling’ (whatever it may be) is against the rules.
From the synopsis, this might seem like a run of the mill sports story, so that’s how we will treat it. Sports movies usually come with a huge amount of heart and sentimentality, showcasing camaraderie and often a group of misfits overcoming an unlikely challenge. Game couldn’t be further from this archetype. Choosing instead to focus on a single character, writer-director Jeannie Donohoe places the audience firmly in the corner of the underdog. Once this is achieved, it is easy for Donohoe to manipulate our emotions through the twists and turns of the plot.
Aside from AJ, there are only really 2 other characters explored in the film. Unhappily, both edge towards stereotype. The team’s coach is hard on his players but ultimately shows he loves them and the sport, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The antagonist, Collins, is a brash, loud-mouthed bully, jealous when AJ gains the coach’s respect. In this instance, we can forgive the characterisation, however, because Collins is completely grounded in reality. We have all known a Collins in our life time, a bully who wants to show off and be well liked.
This is perhaps the main achievement of Game: it feels real. Donohoe exceeds in showing emotion without ever sentimentalising, an admirable feat. Game is well shot and choreographed, and worth watching if only to draw attention to the flaws of so many sports movies that have come before it. Thematically, if we boil it down, this is a film about one character’s struggle, but it also impressively highlights the absurdity in valuing male sports so highly. Perhaps most importantly, watching Game has made me want to go back and watch Donohoe’s 2 previous shorts, and I will definitely be looking out for her name in the future.
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