Review: Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot has a serious case of schizophrenia. At times, it appears to have the makings of a modern day Hoop Dreams, but there are other moments when it falls off the map and reminds viewers of a poor street hoops video. The blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of director and Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch. What Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot does well pretty much all occurs in the first half of the film. Starting with some great opening credits sequences that set the tone right from the start. Yauch doesn’t waste time staking his claim to the documentary and audiences will certainly feel his persona throughout this portion of the film. The story then progresses into brief historical backgrounds on 8 of the players taking part in the camp. Filming for this documentary took place roughly three years ago, so it is impressive to see that 7 of the 8 players featured end up in the NBA (with the other one just entering his first year in college). Clearly, Yauch knew who to follow. The profiles are actually quite fascinating. They are brief (sometimes too brief), but they really capture the persona of each player. Yauch makes a concerted effort to capture the diversity and really bring out every single personality. Whether it’s Jerryd Bayless’ professional (eerily Tiger Woods-esque) approach, Kyle Singler’s child like innocence or Michael Beasley’s goofy antics, each one is unique and honored for what it is. These sections are punctuated by highlight reel sequences that are spliced with articles and rankings for each player and supported by an excellent soundtrack that fits well for each player. The profiles last about 45 minutes and from then on Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot quickly falls flat on its face. The last half is basically a recap of the game the amateur athletes played and it’s like watching a street ball game where no one wants to get hurt or give 100% effort. The game even has a hype man, which sounds great at first, but it quickly becomes annoying as he tries to come up with new nicknames for players every few minutes. Beyond a rather boring game, Yauch’s control falls completely apart during this half. The game is a hodge podge of highlights, some of which don’t even feature the main players discussed earlier. Worse, he tries to throw in extra issues related to high school basketball players in the modern times in a haphazard way. Should the media cover these young athletes before they are even old enough to vote? Should they be sponsored? These question are addressed in the span of a few minutes (between game highlights no less). It’s almost as if some executive producer wanted these topics addressed and Yauch just threw them in right before the final cut was complete. The ending leaves a very bitter taste in your mouth as a viewer, especially when the first half of this documentary is so full of potential. Audiences would be wise to stop Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot about 45 minutes in, otherwise they risk witnessing a film that plays like a number 1 draft pick showing up to camp overweight and unable to perform. Though Yauch’s film has substance, it is entirely frontloaded. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 3 - towards the end it seems issues r brought up haphazardly, losing the power the film could have had Entertainment: 4 - each player's personality is brought to life in an interesting way Technical: 3 - story editing and proper fonting aside, Adam Yauch shows a knack for some well thought out sequences Overall: 3 - best viewed if you stop the movie half way through
 
Format: Online Year: 2008 Running Time: 94 Min Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures and Gravitas Ventures Producer: Adam Yauch and Jon Doran Director: Adam Yauch Date Reviewed: 8-2-2009 Story: Filmmaker and Beastie Boy Adam Yauch documents the lives and talent of some of America's most gifted high school basketball players as they prep for the first annual Elite 24 all-star game in 2006 at Harlem's famed Rucker Park. Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabar were groomed on that same court, and young hopefuls such as Jerryd Bayless, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans and Kevin Love hope to follow in their footsteps (NetFlix).