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Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Darnellia Russell, Bill Resler, Devon Crosby-Helms, Meghan Miller ... see more see more... , Jade White , Lindsey Wilson , Mike "Riderman" Silva , Hillary Seidel , James White , Jack Aaron , Mona Mendoza , Keasha Beard , April Swafford , Maude Lepley , Joyce Walker , Joel Waters , Marjorie Russell , Jerry Ronk , Shannon Costello , Jenny Wild , Alex Jessup , Emiko Harris , Leondrae Morris , Betty Harris , Urika Russell , Leyla Khastou , Tracey Leddo , Secoy Clemmons , Trekayla Clemmons , Kenyon Luce , Malia O'Neil , Mike Colbrese , Kelli Cutright , Mackenzie Argens , Molly Boyd , Colleen Bresee-Woods , Alex Capelotto , Jen Cheun Bouddy , Korleana Davico , Ariel Evans , Alaina Forbes , Breianna Gaines , Tammy Hartung , Johanna Hase , Mattie Hesch , Corry Holme , Libby Jansen , Kimmy Kirkwood , Jamie McIntyre , Laura Mohler , Colleen Mori , Anne Moxon , Betsey Neel , Angela Nefcy , Monica Nelson , Piper Nims , Rachel Nord , Amanda Ostrom , Morgan Patterson , J'Nai Pich , Erin Pursell , Allison Reiman , Anna Sarff , Maggie Torrance , Amber Warren , Jamila Bates , Kaneshia Brooks , Delaney Conway , Nicole Higgins , Anna Johnsen , Laura Kanter , Jazmyne Kendrick , Ashley Knight , Briana Lewis , Ashley Mitchell , Neal Natasha , Mitia Oliver , Lacale Pringle-Buchanan , Kanika Rogers , Brenia Sherrod , Tashara Simpson , Tashara Ticeson , Samantha Tinned , Jessica Tinned , Quanitta Underwood , Laura Washington , Chanieka Williams , Robyn Williams , Emily Watson , David Scully

Bill Resler was a professor at the University of Washington who had possessed a passionate interest in basketball. Resler decided to put his love of the game to work when he heard that Seattle's Roose... read more read more...velt High School needed a coach for their women's basketball team. Despite having almost no experience as a coach, Resler landed the job, and soon began making a difference with the team, firing his players up with enthusiasm and encouraging them to think of themselves not as girl basketball players, but as athletes. Resler's coaching helped to turn a team that usually sat near the bottom of the rankings into serious contenders for a district championship, and produced at least one star player, point guard Darnella Russell. Russell is a gifted player who hopes she can turn her talent on the court into a college scholarship, since her family can't afford to send her on their own dime, but Russell also has a sharp tongue and a short temper that has earned her a reputation as a disciplinary problem. When Russell becomes pregnant, she finds herself fighting to remain in school, and to hold on to her eligibility to play on the team in the future. The Heart of the Game is a documentary which examines Bill Resler's fight to rebuild the women's basketball program at Roosevelt and Russell's battle to stay in the game. The Heart of the Game earned an enthusiastic reception following its screenings at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

23,877 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

96 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Ward Serrell, Ward Serrill

Release Date: June 11, 2005

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DVD Release Date: February 27, 2007

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Stats: 874 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (874)

  • dreamfaeries
    June 5, 2007
    dreamfaeries
    GO ROUGHRIDERS!!!

    Russell has the courage that everyone should have. Fight for your dreams...make it happen no matter what. Bravo to Resler for making it happen and believing in "his girls".
  • gator681
    November 5, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]The one trap that a sports documentary should never fall into is to rely on the cliche of the big game that plagues their fictional counterparts. Remember, a documentary should provide information and give the audience food for thought before attempting to e... read morentertain the audience.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Take the pleasing documentary, "The Heart of the Game," for instance, which is about Bill Resler, a tax professor at the University of Washington who is hired to be the girls' basketball coach at Roosevelt High School. In his first year, through his innovative and unique methods, he coaches the team to the State Championships.(He is also maybe the most understanding coach in history.) In his second, talented but underachieving Darnellia Russell joins the team.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Documentarian Ward Serrill gets the ending he wanted but not quite the afterword. What troubles me most is that the viewer may have been manipulated into having a rooting interest for Roosevelt High School, even though there is an equally compelling story at rival Garfield High School.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Regretfully, the documentary only scratches the surface of the history of women's athletics. Any player may dream of going pro but that's what it mostly is, just a dream. The reality should be to concentrate on a player-athlete's education, getting her a scholarship to a university where she can continue her education and better her life.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]And is Seattle really that segregated? [/font]
  • MistaWonderful
    March 5, 2012
    MistaWonderful
    years ago, i watched a doc called "Hoop Dreams". well, this is a female version. i luv these "Rocky" type movies...u know, the Underdog who still wins. great story & its narrated by Luda
  • gregorykrueger
    April 21, 2009
    gregorykrueger
    Best basketball documentary I've seen. Keeps moving the whole way through and slightly more involving than Hoop Dreams. It's a well-produced film covering a good story. Resler and Russell are kind of hilarious as is the locker-door slamming scene. First half hour is a little ... read moreslow moving but remainder more than makes up for the difference.
  • maxpowerhjays
    February 9, 2009
    maxpowerhjays
    a good doc ressler cracks me up. his coaching style while strange is affective. damellia's story is kind of sad but not uncommon.
  • mrluckytjd
    December 3, 2007
    mrluckytjd
    A powerful story that is much more than a basketball documentary. Follow an unconventional coach and the motivated girls team he attempts to lead not only on the court, but also in life. A journey that will have you laugh and cry, angry and hopeful and not to mention infuse you w... read moreith inspiration.
  • thecrow8
    September 15, 2007
    thecrow8
    This is an inspirational documentary about a girl that came to a high school and played varsity basketball. It follows her high school career and the problems she has to get there. This is something that girls should watch if they are losing confidence in anything they do.
  • robertedouglas
    August 21, 2007
    robertedouglas
    This documentary was one of the best I have seen in a long time. Darnelia Russell is such an inspiration watch it, and you'll discover what I'm talking about. EXCELLENT MUST SEE
  • macktowngirl32
    May 21, 2007
    macktowngirl32
    this is my favorite movie i have ever seen!!!! i love it.... it inspires me to play basketball more amd more every time i watch it!!!!<3<3<3
  • adecker31
    April 30, 2007
    adecker31
    Darnelia Russell is an amazing person. There's a lot here to like. I didn't feel like I ever had a sense of who the coach was though.

    This movie is better than most when talking about themes related to teaching...

View All The Heart of the Game Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
August 1, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

Girls have hoop dreams too. And dreams can come true at the final buzzer. Full Review

J. R. Jones
March 26, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

[The film] covers seven years and touches on some of the same social issues that gave Hoop Dreams its epic sweep, yet Serrill fails to treat any of them adequately, and the narrative loses its shape a... Full Review

Roger Moore
August 18, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Emotional, uplifting, vexing and infuriating, it's the first basketball documentary worthy of being compared to 1994's Hoop Dreams. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
July 21, 2006
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Sketchy as it can be at times, The Heart of the Game keeps us involved.

Michael Booth
July 21, 2006
Michael Booth, Denver Post

An exhausting and thoroughly entertaining tale of race, fair play, loyalty, pregnancy and the true spirit of amateur athletics. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
July 7, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Its squeak-and-sweat athleticism, its tough, bruised, big-hearted players and its electrifying championship countdowns should appeal to anyone who loves the game. Full Review

Tom Long
July 7, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

Anybody who doesn't find themselves on the edge of their seat for this film's final minutes shouldn't be going to movies. Full Review

Terry Lawson
July 7, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

[The Roughriders] persevere, as did director Serrill, who took his time to find the real heart of this game. Full Review

Chris Vognar
July 6, 2006
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Serrill, making his feature debut, didn't plan on spending seven years with the Roughriders. But reality just kept getting more compelling and complicated, and his persistence paid off. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
July 6, 2006
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

This is a movie about empowerment, integrity and having fun, and those are always in season. Full Review

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