''Streetballers'' is a 2009

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

Matthew Scott Krentz Matthew Scott Krentz (born August 5, 1976), also known as Matt Krentz, is an American director, producer and actor. Krentz was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Kansas City's Rockhurst University also spending several summers volu ...

. The film tells the story of a friendship between two junior college

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

players, one black, one Irish-American, both trying to use streetball as their escape. Jacob Whitmore, the black player is played by former

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

basketball player Jimmy McKinney. Director Matthew Krentz plays the white basketball player John Hogan. The film was shot in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

with an entirely local cast and crew. Krentz is from

Webster Groves Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University. Geography Webster Groves is located at ( ...

, one of the city's inner-ring suburbs.

Plot

Two basketball players are drawn into the lures of crime and gambling on the courts of St. Louis, Missouri tough Northside neighborhoods. Constantly searching for sanity in the midst of alcoholism, racism, and drugs, John Hogan (played by the film director Matthew Scott Krentz) and Jacob Whitmore (played by Jimmy McKinney) find release and therapy while competing at one of the most competitive street courts in the U.S. Both must spend an entire summer helping one another overcome adversity. Their dedication and love for the game of basketball transcend from the playground courts into each of their dysfunctional households, where the two boys played the constant role of father figure. Jacob has no choice but to play in an underground league, constantly fighting to keep his cousin Damon out of debt and possible death. John’s overpowering guilt and family trauma erupt into a state of beautiful confusion with each spiritual intervention by Terry Gibson, a neighborhood boy killed in a drunk-driving crash. Together, the two paint a sad and hopeful portrait with their innocence, concerns, and faith in the unknown.

Cast

* Jimmy McKinney ... Jacob Whitmore * Matt Krentz ... John Hogan * Adrieanne Perez ... Sarah *Eric Fletcher ... Terry Gibson *Craig Thomas ... Damon *Patrick Rooney ... Michael *Justin Tatum ... Dante *Caitlin Howley ... Caiti *MaryBeth Scherr ... Kat *Jordan Ward ... Ty *Peggy Neely-Harris ... Auntie Rose *Brian Lane ... Stepdad *Craig Hawksley ... Mr. Henry *Ryan Johnson ... Rufus *Tracy Taylor ... UFC Fighter / Dante's Muscle *Earl 'Easy' Leonard ... Dante's Muscle *Mike Rodgers ... UFC Fighter *James 'Slim' Cunningham ... Skinny Rick *John Griffin ... Helicopter *John Oden ... Big T *Brandon Whitemore ... B *Eric ... RW aka 'Re-Wind'

Reception

Although the film opened in only two theaters, its per-screen opening weekend viewership was high. At more than $5700 per screen, it outstripped better-known films with nationwide showing such as

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

and

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

to rank ninth in the country in per-screen viewership. The film made a similar per-screen showing during its opening weekend in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, taking 14th place in per-screen viewership, but grossing "more than $6,000".

Awards

*Won Jury Award - Honorable Mention for Best Feature Film at the

Hollywood Black Film Festival The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF), dubbed the "Black Sundance," is an annual six-day film festival held in Los Angeles, California dedicated to enhancing the careers of new and established black filmmaking professionals by bringing their w ...

(2008) *Won Audience Choice Award Best Feature Film at the

St. Louis International Film Festival The St. Louis International Film Festival (also known as SLIFF or Cinema St. Louis) is an annual film festival in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been running since 1992. The coordinating organization changed its name to "Cinema St. Louis" in 2003 ...

(2008) **Also won Best Dramatic Feature prize at the same festival

References

External links

Streeballers
- the film's official site * {{IMDb title, 0847221, Streetballers 2009 films American basketball films Films directed by Matthew Scott Krentz 2000s English-language films 2000s American films