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Basket, The
Priviledged Commnications

Basket, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 53 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.6 out of 10
based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for some mild violence and brief language

Starring Peter Coyote, Karen Allen, Robert Karl Burke, and Amber Willenborg

Shortly after World War I, a new teacher (Coyote) brings basketball to a school in a small Pacific Northwest town. He helps to unite the town during a tense period which includes the immigration to the United States of German citizens.


GENRE(S): Drama  
WRITTEN BY: Don Caron
Rich Cowan
Frank Swoboda
Tessa Swoboda
 
DIRECTED BY: Rich Cowan  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: December 11, 2001 
Video: December 11, 2001 
Theatrical: May 5, 2000 
RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
LA Weekly Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
Well-acted, briskly paced and prettily photographed, the film is a mild-mannered family story with a caring heart, and that's ultimately enough to make its 104 minutes worthwhile.
Read Full Review
80
Film.com John Hartl
The most popular entry in last year's Seattle International Film Festival family series.
Read Full Review
80
Film.com Ted Fry
Accomplished, ambitious, and great-looking.
Read Full Review
75
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
As warm and reassuring as grandma's hugs.
Read Full Review
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Woven from such promising threads that you wish it was better.
Read Full Review
60
The New York Times Stephen Holden
Avoids succumbing to the preachiness that is the bane of so many family films, and for a movie like this, that's no small feat.
Read Full Review
60
Los Angeles Times Robin Rauzi
It may be a hard sell to the Gameboy generation, but The Basket has charms that may be more evident to adults.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Tribune John Petrakis
It gussies up the tale with so many random subplots that by the time we cut through the morass, the film is over.
50
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Amiable though slow-going.
Read Full Review
50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Would be solid family entertainment if it weren't for the funereal pacing, which may kill its appeal among young audiences.
50
Village Voice Emily Borrow
Combines the wholesomeness of "Old Yeller" with the moral and physical claustrophobia of "The Waltons."
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego
Earnest and kid-friendly -- also simplistic and dramatically creaky.
50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
You have no idea how determined director Rich Cowan is to suck the last drop of sap out of this tree.
Read Full Review
40
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
Clunky and obvious.
Read Full Review
33
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
A contrived and sentimental melodrama, the film takes a promising premise and crushes it with mind-numbing repetition, sophomoric conveniences, plastic acting and the worst score, perhaps, ever heard.
30
TV Guide Ken Fox
Despite the overplotting, there's scarcely any of the characterization that might have made some of it interesting.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michelle P. gave it a 10:
I was so disappointed to find out this movie got a 51. It's such a touching, beautiful film. The acting is fabulous, the music is beautiful, the setting is gorgeous, it's fantastic.

Don J. gave it a 10:
What a relief. I could see a movie like this every week and I'd be happy.

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