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Above the Rim poster

Above the Rim

year 1994decade 90sdirector Jeff Pollackgenre Dramagenre Sports

97 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Duane Martin Kyle Lee Watson
Leon Shep
Tupac Shakur Birdie
David Bailey Rollins
Tonya Pinkins Mailika
Marlon Wayans Bugaloo
Bernie Mac Flip
Byron Minns Monroe
Wood Harris Motaw
Henry Simmons Starnes
Eric Nies Montrose
Cinnamon Paige Young Woman
Debra Rubins Hostess
Bill Raftery Himself
John Thompson Himself

Above the Rim | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathanhost Wosny Lambreproducer Craig Horlbeck
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Half-Assed Internet Research

Cast ages and basketball backgrounds; Tupac filming; trailer sharing; budget and gross

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:19Read transcript
  • The film is described as Tupac’s last movie released during his lifetime; later completed films arrived posthumously, and shooting reportedly sometimes waited for him.
  • A reported$6.5 million budget and$16.2 million theatrical gross are supplemented by speculation that later formats earned much more.
  • Martin attended NYU rather than Georgetown, correcting a long-held assumption that the ending used his actual college shot.
  • Kobe Bryant reportedly sometimes practiced without a ball; any influence from this film is a joke rather than established history.
  • Pinkins is reportedly only three years older than Martin.
  • Martin reportedly played at NYU in the late 1980s and received an 1988–89 first-team honor.
  • Leon reportedly left a Loyola Marymount basketball scholarship for acting.
  • Leon described NYU scrimmages involving Rucker tournament players, where actual skill mattered more than acting.
  • Tupac and Wayans reportedly shared a two-bedroom trailer, and Wayans recalled frequent marijuana smoking.
  • Speedy Williams, the red team’s point guard, is identified as a basketball technical consultant.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Final championship game: Shep in corduroys

In the discussion (18)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:38Read transcript
  • Birdie’s first club recruitment is nominated for Tupac’s charming, seductive register alongside his menacing and wounded scenes.
  • The club recruitment’s secret-room atmosphere and smarmy recruiter who knows Kyle’s shoe size make it a favorite.
  • Kyle’s one-on-one game against Flip mixes Bernie Mac’s aggressive comedy with the moving reminder that their past championship cannot be erased.
  • Birdie rejecting Bug, followed by Kyle challenging Shep and Shep addressing Nutso, is a scene candidate.
  • Shep talking to a dead person and practicing without a ball raise concern about him as a prospective stepfather.
  • The opening Nutso rooftop death is nominated despite being considered absurd, with inconsistent walls/glass and impractical varsity jackets.
  • Big Pimpin’ into the tournament signup is a favorite forty-five seconds that deserves a longer cut.
  • The first tournament montage combines hard fouls, music and the coach’s abrupt Georgetown-letter announcement.
  • Shep’s thirteen-for-thirteen performance is praised.
  • Shep’s midrange shooting conveys disciplined old-school skill and purity.
  • Shep lighting everyone up in corduroys is an especially fun five-minute stretch.
  • Kyle’s Georgetown shot directly into Regulate is nominated and looks so authentic it was once mistaken for Martin’s real college footage.
  • The final game wins explicitly, with Shep’s apparent heave revealed as an alley-oop.
  • Shep’s shooting form and defense are admired.
  • Shep in corduroys is reiterated as the winning scene.
  • Wayans’s entire performance is a comic alternative, especially the gold-Urkel remark and his post-jail introduction showing off his physique.
  • The first outdoor shadow-basketball scene is an additional nomination for its bizarre ball-free practice.
  • The coach telling Shep he can help Kyle avoid repeating his mistakes is an additional scene nomination.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:31Read transcript
  • Ebert gave three stars, praising the street setting and performances by Martin, Shakur and Pinkins.

Picking Nits

Georgetown as Kyle’s only offer; recruiting naivety

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:46Read transcript
  • A talented prospect having only Georgetown or community college as options is implausible; St.John’s, Iona and other schools should be interested.
  • Kyle should recognize the recruiting figures by senior year, although a recent four-inch growth spurt might explain his late emergence.
  • Nutso’s rooftop death has inconsistent barriers and implausible glass placement; playing in varsity jackets is also questioned.
  • The coach should have delivered the Georgetown letter earlier; Kyle’s uncertain team choice explains the timing but invites suspicion he might withhold it.
  • Motaw commits eight counted old-style flagrants plus further modern violations without being ejected.
  • The tournament’s relationship to the high-school season and mixed warm/cold-weather clothing makes the timeline unclear.
  • The easily shattered rooftop backboard and inconsistent walls do not explain Nutso’s fall; drugs and Shep’s responsibility remain uncertain.
  • Kyle Lee Watson sounds implausible beside contemporary New York prospects; the name seems more like a country singer or serial killer, perhaps only serving one joke.
  • Georgetown’s scout watching repeated bad performances makes little sense when the school should already know it wants the prospect.
  • The ending is compared with the 2013 NBA Finals; the Ray Allen comeback is jokingly considered less realistic.
  • A park shooting and police response seem plausible, but sending Motaw on a public killing mission seems foolish.
  • Motaw handling the ball late is questioned, then defended because prior dialogue establishes him as the threatened star player.
  • Monarch High School and its Panthers nickname feel unlike New York public schools named after public figures.

What’s Aged the Best?

Tupac; Wood Harris; Eric Nies; Shep’s game; marketing; villains; streetball; Tonya Pinkins

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:28Read transcript
  • Tupac at his peak and Harris’s later Wire connection have aged well.
  • Eric Nies’s Real World and The Grind fame makes Montrose an especially 1990s casting choice; his basketball bearing and passing look convincing.
  • Shep’s twenty-six points in one half in corduroys deserve comparison with famous real basketball performances.
  • Kyle’s Michael Jordan Aerial Assault poster is exciting nostalgic decoration despite being judged a bad poster.
  • Shep’s fourteen-year grief is both best and worst: it drives the plot but leaves him implausibly unable to function or accept companionship.
  • The Holler If Ya Hear Me trailer is credited with attracting audiences and anticipating later song-driven marketing.
  • The entertaining villains make it possible to root for both tournament teams.
  • The film’s promotional poster is praised.
  • The white big man on Kyle’s team is an enjoyable 1990s type; the idea he is the coach’s son is speculative and challenged by his absence from the school team.
  • Yellow tape and crowds pressing onto the court convincingly capture New York streetball culture.
  • Tonya Pinkins’s mother character is praised for fierce vulnerability, firm parenting and a steadying perspective on college ambitions.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Wikipedia coverage; Kyle; low rims; urination gag; phone; romance concerns; hair and scar

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:37Read transcript
  • Shep’s extreme, long-lasting reaction to Nutso’s death is both an entertaining premise and an implausible obstacle to his life.
  • The thin Wikipedia page is criticized for insufficient detail, including no Pee Wee Kirkland mention.
  • Kyle’s ball-dominant, selfish play and unlikeability are criticized; a defense says his troubled adolescence serves Shep’s story.
  • Apparently lowered rims make the repeated dunks implausible compared with Kyle’s limited reach against Flip.
  • The anteater urination gag should have been cut.
  • Birdie’s antiquated mobile phone dates the film.
  • The mother’s attraction to Shep is questioned given his work proximity, drug-dealing brother, poverty and odd behavior; vulnerability, loyalty and her financial independence are offered in defense.
  • Kyle’s Marbury-style middle-part haircut has aged badly.
  • Birdie’s scar looks hastily and unconvincingly applied.

The Den of Thieves Benihana Award for Scene-Stealing Location

Tournament court; club; high-school gym

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:29Read transcript
  • The tournament court represents Rucker Park, but the panel doubts it is the actual location.
  • The red-lit club and changing upstairs music create an appealing, convincing atmosphere.
  • The cramped high-school gym with an overhead track captures a recognizable New York basketball setting.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Move past what happens to you; They can’t erase what we were; Everything costs in here; comic alternatives

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:02Read transcript
  • They can’t erase what we were, man is the opening best-quote choice.
  • Everything costs in here makes Birdie’s seductive offer explicitly transactional.
  • Bug’s anteater and weightlifting joke is another quote choice.
  • Flip’s pussy-without-the-hair insult is recalled as a favorite.
  • He’s playing ball without a ball is a favorite line.
  • Flip’s profane retort to someone looking for Shep is recalled as a widely repeated high-school insult, with the panel stressing the different era.
  • The Bombers championship/give-me-the-rock exchange is praised because its confrontational speaker has virtually no other introduction.
  • The separately announced literal-best-quote choice is the advice that people must move past what happens to them or stop moving altogether.

Van Lathan Different Time Award

Different Time Award proposal

The panel proposes a new category here.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:45Read transcript
  • The panel jokingly proposes a Van Lathan Different Time Award after defending dated comic insults; no formal award winner is selected.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Montrose’s story would be better; best basketball movie; Big East turning point

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:01Read transcript
  • The better player Montrose could anchor a more interesting film about a white New York hooper navigating basketball and a racist home community; this is an imagined story, not supplied film backstory. — Wosny Lambre
  • The opening best-basketball-movie claim is repeated as another hot take.
  • The Georgetown ending is called the beginning of the Big East’s decline; later Syracuse/UConn success is a counterargument, while losing recruits like Marbury illustrates the claim.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Montrose: Above the Rim2 / Below the Rim

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:27Read transcript
  • A Montrose-centered follow-up imagines a white basketball player navigating racist peers and cross-cultural experience.
  • The earlier Montrose follow-up is reaffirmed in the formal category.

Casting What-Ifs

Allen Payne; Denzel Washington (disputed)

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:01Read transcript
  • Allen Payne was reportedly the original Kyle choice.
  • Leon reportedly said Washington was offered Shep; the panel doubts he was realistically in contention, but cites Ricochet and other unconventional roles as possible counterexamples.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Coach; Jackie Aprile actor; Byron Minns

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:50Read transcript
  • The coach’s actor is a that-guy choice whose name remains uncertain in the discussion.
  • The actor recognized as Jackie Aprile is another that-guy choice.
  • Byron Minns as the other security guard is identified through South Central and selected as a familiar 1990s face.

Recasting Couch

Aiello or Law & Order’s McCoy as coach; contemporary basketball and rap cast

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:00Read transcript
  • Danny Aiello is proposed as coach, but his stature may make the role unrealistic.
  • The actor playing Jack McCoy in Law & Order is another coaching option.
  • Tyler Herro is the contemporary Montrose choice.
  • Anthony Edwards is the Kyle choice after Hustle; using actual hoopers is favored.
  • P.J.Tucker is a Motaw option.
  • Snowfall’s Damson is considered for Birdie, but a rapper may better honor Tupac’s legacy.
  • YG is a Birdie possibility, subject to acting ability.
  • The Game is suggested for Birdie but rejected as too old; his team name Birdie’s Revenge is mentioned.
  • Drake is a fallback suggestion met with incredulity.
  • 21 Savage is a more warmly received Birdie choice.

Apex Mountain

Duane Martin; Eric Nies; shadow basketball; street-tournament imitations; 1990s New York basketball

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:33Read transcript
  • Two yes responses favor this as the peak 1990s basketball movie; Blue Chips is a dissenting choice for its predictive story.
  • Playing basketball without a ball receives an uncontested yes.
  • Tupac receives no because of personal troubles.
  • The film and contemporary Knicks/point-guard culture support a yes for 1990s New York basketball relevance.
  • Martin receives an unqualified yes.
  • Pinkins’s Tony-winning theater work is preferred to this film as her overall peak.
  • Rucker Park imitation tournaments receive a yes.
  • Bernie Mac receives no, with his television show and The Players Club stronger candidates.
  • Eric Nies receives a yes.
  • Tha Dogg Pound receives an initial yes but New York, New York and its video are a competing peak.
  • Leon receives a yes from one participant; The Five Heartbeats and especially The Temptations performance as David Ruffin are competing choices.

Hall of Fame Plaque

Tupac: Bishop in Juice

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:58Read transcript
  • Martin is initially described as having this as his defining plaque movie, but the question is then scoped to Tupac.
  • Birdie is rejected for Tupac’s plaque; Poetic Justice and Juice are alternatives before Bishop becomes the preferred answer.

Best Race Horse Name from This Movie

Nutso; Toy Cop; One on Bum; Pussy Without the Hair

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:48Read transcript
  • Nutso is a racehorse-name candidate.
  • Toy Cop is a candidate and gets agreement.
  • One on Bum is a candidate illustrated with an imagined race call.
  • Pussy Without the Hair is an additional candidate.

Just One Oscar

Soundtrack/song; Tupac; Tonya Pinkins

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:49Read transcript
  • The soundtrack is one Oscar choice.
  • Tupac’s varied Birdie performance is another choice.
  • Pinkins is a competing performance choice.
  • Because soundtrack is not an Oscar category, the idea shifts to original song, with Big Pimpin’ proposed against the Lion King-dominated field.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Nutso nickname; sample-song bracket; fake dunks; intimidating coaches; Shep’s relationship; Bug’s fate

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:04Read transcript
  • Nutso’s nickname may come from his name or erratic personality; a neighborhood nickname anecdote makes it seem plausible.
  • A proposed bracket pairs great 1980s songs with 1990s sampled hits: I Keep Forgettin’/Regulate, The Way It Is/Changes, Mo Money Mo Problems, Been Around the World, and a Police/tribute-song pairing with initially disputed decade.
  • Wayans’s fake dunk is compared with the more implausible Norton dunk in American History X and Harrelson’s White Men Can’t Jump alley-oop.
  • Birdie is the more frightening halftime interview than Popovich, though 2010s Popovich is close.
  • Shep and Kyle’s mother are imagined to marry because he has stopped running away.
  • Bug probably dies in the club after shooting Birdie; the alternative is a long prison term.
  • A hypothetical matchup pits Shep and Kyle against Blue Chips’ Butch and Neon; Neon is considered too hard to guard, so a three-on-three adds the white number 52 and Ricky Roe.

Best Double Feature

Hoop Dreams; The Sixth Man; Blue Chips

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:55Read transcript
  • Hoop Dreams first supplies real basketball ambition and emotion before this more playful film.
  • The Sixth Man is the second double-feature choice.
  • Above the Rim followed by Blue Chips recreates their close 1994 release window.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Shep’s corduroys; Motaw jersey; power-tool poster; Birdie razor; Nutso jacket

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:45Read transcript
  • Shep’s game-used corduroys are a memorabilia choice.
  • Motaw’s Bulldogs tournament jersey is the same participant’s alternative.
  • The Grip It, Feel It power-tool advertisement behind a street conversation is another choice.
  • Birdie’s razor blade is selected, with discussion of the real practice of hiding one in the mouth and uncertainty about its origins.
  • Nutso’s letterman jacket is a final candidate, especially if it carries his name.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Recognize runners; ball-free outdoor basketball is troubling

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:31Read transcript
  • The mother’s warning about a man who runs away is the first lesson.
  • Outdoor basketball without a ball is jokingly treated as evidence that someone needs help.

Who Won the Movie?

Soundtrack; Tupac as human winner

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:31Read transcript
  • Tupac is initially selected, but the soundtrack becomes the overall choice once declared eligible; Tupac remains the explicitly qualified human winner.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Soundtrack

More from the conversation

Simmons,Lathan and Wos introduce their affection for the1994film and its combination of hip-hop,street basketball,Tupac and the Regulate sample.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:22Read transcript
Above the Rim and He Got Game are personal basketball-film favorites; the physical high-school play closely resembles Lathan’s teenage experience.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:41Read transcript
New York gyms and street tournaments formed a connected basketball culture before widespread internet footage; a contrast is drawn with other regions’ school-focused programs.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:43Read transcript
The exciting marketing coincided with a growing range of basketball films reflecting different audiences and playing experiences.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:41Read transcript
The soundtrack and quoted characters situated the film in hip-hop’s mainstream breakthrough; the Nutso backstory remains an early criticism reserved for later.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:49Read transcript
Cooper’s Harlem Trilogy and the film’s constant television reruns place it within an influential period of Black cinema.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:57Read transcript
Lathan remembers Above the Rim and House Party3 as exceptionally lively Baton Rouge theater experiences.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:38Read transcript
Tupac’s screen charisma and enthusiastic theater crowds led to repeated VHS viewing and shared basketball quotations.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:28Read transcript
The panel connects Tupac’s preparation with New York street associates to later violence,prison and Death Row; allegations about individuals are explicitly allegations in the discussion.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:46Read transcript
Birdie’s trauma and coaching intensity make him a compelling villain; Motaw and The Wire’s Avon invite comparisons but differ in emotional control.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:28Read transcript
The soundtrack is praised as a major1990s album beyond its film tie-in,with Regulate’s enduring influence and Death Row’s cultural peak; its impact may exceed the film’s.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:33Read transcript
Entertainment Weekly’s soundtrack praise and comparison of Tupac to Sean Penn reinforce the belief that Tupac’s future could have centered on acting.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:21Read transcript
Georgetown’s symbolic connection to Black culture is offered as the reason for choosing it as Kyle’s desired school.
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:03Read transcript
A joking Van Lathan Different Time Award is proposed while discussing dated insults; this is a proposed category name rather than an established award.
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:45Read transcript
Martin’s White Men Can’t Jump and Out All Night roles,and marriage to Tisha Campbell,illustrate his prominence in Black popular culture beyond mainstream recognition.
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:59Read transcript
Blue Chips’ isolated Louisiana basketball setting is criticized as implausibly backward; a memory of Laettner outperforming Shaq challenges automatic assumptions about the hypothetical matchup.
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:02Read transcript