59
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Portland OregonianM. E. RussellPortland OregonianM. E. RussellA basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a Hong Kong wire-fu epic.
- 75Baltimore SunMichael SragowBaltimore SunMichael SragowThe Summer Olympics may offer more intricate, arduous and high-stakes spectacles, but nothing will top the last half-hour of Gunnin' for That #1 Spot for adrenalized high spirits.
- 70VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibBeastie Boy Adam Yauch proves he can make a comprehensive, state-of-the-art docu of interest to basketball aficionados.
- It's sure to satisfy the film's target youth audience's appetite for zippy visuals and swift pacing.
- 67The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasComes from a pure place. Or rather, it comes from a DESIRE for a pure place in a game poisoned by mercenary compromise.
- 63New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe film is well shot and edited, backed with a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack and full of pep.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAs guileless and eager as the most avid fan, Gunnin’ is neither cautionary nor analytical, allowing its insights to occur organically and without fancy camera moves.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierCulminating in a high-scoring, exciting game, "Gunnin'" scores.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceAs each player's run through the same routine--hometown meet-and-greet, biographical sketch, hasty interview--the burden of the formulaic structure starts to wear.
- 50Washington PostWashington PostFor all the flash and dazzle, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot never comes close to the power and intimacy of 1994's "Hoop Dreams." The comparison may be unfair, but, given the subject matter, it's inevitable.