Reviews for May 22nd 2013
Documentary Round-Up
Doin' It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC opens at the Maysles Cinema via Goldcrest Films. This irresistibly entertaining doc sheds some light on the subculture of pick-up basketball, a form of street basketball played outdoors in New York City during the summertime. Co-directors Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau spend a lot of time going from court to court throughout the city the daily games that take place there. The game includes no referee, and your reputation/popularity is all the pretty much matters if you want to use the court; politely stating that you're next won't help even if you're being honest. Pick-up basketball is and has always been integral part of New York City's culture which makes Doin' It in the Park inherently fascinating. You'll learn a little bit of the game's history and hear some interviews with some current and former players. Couliau and Garcia, who narrates, clearly have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for pick-up basketball and understand its intrinsic value. That passion and enthusiasm can be felt onscreen via the music, stylish editing and through the vast numbers of interviews provided. Admittedly, they could have focused slightly more on a few of the players to dig deeper into their lives and flesh more out more of human elements of the game. At a running time of roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes, Doin' It in the Park is nonetheless an uplifting, well-edited tribute to the subculture of pick-up basketball in NYC.
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