The Other Dream Team
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    Oct 11, 2012
    100
    It would have been enough for The Other Dream Team to simply pay tribute to the tie-dyed underdogs, but the filmmakers strived for more. Adding detailed historical context, the quirky feel-good story becomes a tragedy and a lesson. And that makes the victories resonate even more.
  2. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Kevin Jagernauth
    Sep 27, 2012
    83
    Moving, rousing, funny and at times even haunting.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    Sep 27, 2012
    80
    A sports film to remember.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Duane Byrge
    Sep 24, 2012
    80
    Much more than a sports film, The Other Dream Team is a rousing document of how one oppressed country reclaimed its identity and won its freedom in large part through its basketball prowess.
  5. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Oct 19, 2012
    75
    If you root for documentaries with heart, The Other Dream Team is a slam dunk.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    Oct 11, 2012
    75
    Clearly, there's a story here. The documentary The Other Dream Team tells it in a smart, lively, if somewhat hectic fashion.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    Oct 10, 2012
    75
    Markevicius tells this incredible yarn through the significantly less exciting format of an ESPN-style documentary, which gets the job done with minimal flourish. Still, he employs former Lithuanian greats like Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis to serve as guides to the country's past and present, and the basketball culture that's thrived there under the best and worst of times.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Merry
    Oct 4, 2012
    75
    The documentary offers a fascinating and heartfelt examination of history through the microcosm of one sport.
  9. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    Sep 27, 2012
    70
    Still, the essence of the film lies in the athletes' towering charm, and the nature of their journey.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    Sep 25, 2012
    70
    Watching Sabonis and company deliver comeuppance to their former rulers on the hardwood, I fully expect The Other Dream Team to join "Do You Believe in Miracles?" and "Undefeated" in your inspirational-sports-doc rotation.
  11. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    Sep 24, 2012
    70
    Smartly engineered to engage sports fans and non-fans, the picture's account of Lithuania's 1992 Olympics bronze medal-winning team, presented as a symbol of post-Cold War freedom.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    Sep 27, 2012
    60
    Augmented by a trove of archival footage reaching back to the 1930s, Jesse Feldman's buoyant cinematography merges political history and sports mania into a triumphant timeline.
  13. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Andrew Schenker
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    Draws on archival footage and firsthand accounts from both players and outside observers to reveal the complex interaction of politics and athletics that colored the Euro-on-Euro competition.
  14. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    Sep 28, 2012
    50
    The presentation is conventional in style but uplifting in spirit, and worth seeing even if you know nothing about basketball.
  15. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chuck Bowen
    Sep 25, 2012
    50
    Made with considerable reverence, but it doesn't quite manage to tow a tricky tonal line that's required when working with such sensitive and complicated material.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. cinemanatomy
    10
    The audience I just saw this film with broke out into applause at the end of it. Through the story of these four basketball players, you're not just learning about the modern history of Lithuania, you find yourself developing a deep sense of pride in a country you've probably never traveled to. I'm not a history buff, I'm not a basketball fan, but I absolutely loved this film.… Full Review »
  2. jerrycurlan
    10
    Outanding film - and how refreshing to see a massive group of independence movement protesters who can do it with dignity and class rather than as a collection of violent mobs. Great to see Sabonis and the rest of the big 4 Lithuanians from the 88 Soviet team get a chance to do it as an independent country in 92.… Full Review »
  3. MarcDoyle
    9
    A fantastic athletic/historic documentary - add a point or 2 to my score if you were at least a teenager in the late 80's and like either basketball or the Grateful Dead. It's pretty amazing what these players went through as late as 1991 - going from breadlines to the penthouse, but fearing a permanent trip to Siberia if the wrong party leader looked at you the wrong way.… Full Review »
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