Shooting Stars tells the inspiring story of NBA legend LeBron James. It will open fans eyes to what his life was like, but it does drag on a bit too long.
If you have been living under a rock, you might have missed that LeBron James is one of the best basketball players on the planet. He wrote a book detailing his early life and that is what Shooting Stars is based on. This film takes fans back to how he rose to be where he is today, and those that were a big part of his life — and still are. Part coming of age story, part inspirational sports film, this movie has a lot of great moments, but it isn’t all perfect.
Let’s start with the good. This cast does a great job of portraying James and his friends. Marquis “Mookie” Cook has some big shoes to fill, quite literally, but he pulls it off. It is clear that he put any pressure he was feeling aside and jumped head first into this role. I would be willing to bet he spent some time with LeBron to make sure he did justice to his story.
The main supporting cast is just as good. Caleb McLaughlin, Avery Wills Jr., Khalil Everage, and Scoot Henderson join Cook to form what feels like a real life friendship. The group have their ups and downs but that is what makes it so relatable. We have all been there with a friend group, so it is refreshing to see it played out on screen.
While the story is inspiring, especially considering we all know how it turned out for LeBron’s, there are often times it lacks heart. The whole story gets a bit convoluted, which is largely in part due to it’s length.
Which leads me into the biggest fault with this movie — that it does not need to be nearly two hours long. While the story is inspiring, funny, and entertaining at times, it goes on far too long. If it had been cut down to a solid ninety minutes, I think it would have played much better. At times it feels as though the movie is trying to make itself longer just to do it, and not for the benefit of the story.
While it is important to spend time with LeBron, his family, his friends, and his life on the court, Shooting Stars often buckles because of the length. The worst part is it feels even longer than two hours because of the pacing – not really a good thing.
As seen in the credits, the real people that are a part of LeBron’s life were invited to be a part of the film. This is something truly special and takes the movie up a notch. He is acknowledging that he wouldn’t be where he is today without them. They are an important part of his journey and it was lovely to see that they got to be a part of this movie as well.
I also really enjoyed that we were able to catch up with each of his friends and influences to see what they are up to. It is revealed where they are now and what they have been doing since High School. If you don’t have a big smile on your face during this, I don’t think you were paying attention at all.
Overall Thoughts
Shooting Stars is fine. It tells LeBron James’ inspirational story about how he came to be who he is today. Still, even though this story is unique to him, it feels like something we have seen time and time again.
The cast is good, the story is fine, the basketball is fun to watch, but there isn’t much that sets it apart from the multitude of coming up in sports stories that we have already seen.
Shooting Stars comes exclusively to Peacock on June 2nd.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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About Shooting Stars
It’s not how you start the game. It’s how you finish.
Based on the book by LeBron James and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger, Shooting Stars is the inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero, revealing how LeBron James and his childhood friends become the #1 high school team in the country, launching James’s breathtaking career as a four-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
SHOOTING STARS will premiere on Peacock June 2, 2023.
