Believe in Me (2006)

3.5 stars out of 5

Netflix recommended "Believe in Me" to me because it could tell I was obviously into true-life sports dramas. This movie fulfills its ambition to be the "Rocky" of high school girls' basketball. The scene is set in 1960s rural Oklahoma (very similar to the scene in Glory Road - the Rocky of men's college basketball). The coach is disappointed to be "demoted" to coach the girls' team, but he tries to make the best of it. After much practice and work, the team comes together and succeeds. It is a touching story.

However, the movie is lacking in several ways:

1. Girls' basketball is not fun to watch. I think the camera work reflected this as most of the shots were close-in shots that did not focus on the whole floor. I'm not sure who is watching the WNBA, but maybe they would appreciate this movie more.

2. Acting was subpar. Obviously, this was a low budget film. I don't think it hit the big screen. But I can't think of one memorable performance. They were all over-the-top or underplayed.

3. The movie is very predictable. I'm not sure how much they deviated from actual events, but you could see all plot developments from a mile away. Usually Rocky movies follow a script, but a little deviation and a couple of surprises are welcome.

Overall, it is a decent movie, especially if you have a girl that you want to get into high school basketball. But I wouldn't go out of your way to seek it out.