Full Court Miracle
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''Full-Court Miracle'' is a 2003 Disney Channel Original Hanukkah Movie. It premiered on November 21, 2003. Inspired by the true story of
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
Cavaliers The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...
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 ...
star Lamont Carr, the film centers on a group of young
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
basketball players who search for a coach to help them out of a slump during the
Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
season. It was filmed in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.


Plot

Alex "Schlots" Schlotsky (
Alex D. Linz Alexander David Linz (born January 3, 1989) is an American former child actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television series. His film roles include ''Home Alone 3'' (1997) and ''Max Keeble's Big Move'' (2001). He ...
) is a 14-year-old
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
at
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
Hebrew Academy, where he and his friends are on the school's struggling
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 ...
team, the Lions. The Lions dream of winning the Liberty Tournament and defeating their school's rivals, the Warriors, but the basketball team doesn't have a good coach. Schlots and his friends are determined to find their own Judah Macabee to coach their team. During one day of practice at a local park, Schlots finds the man he believes is the right coach for the basketball team: Lamont Carr (Richard T. Jones), a
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
star whose knee injury prevented him from getting into the NBA. There are many hurdles Schlots and Lamont must overcome over the course of the movie: Lamont is homeless after leaving his wife and son in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
with the hopes of being signed by the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
; Schlots must convince Lamont that coaching his ragtag group is worth his time, energy, and the meager amount of money the boys can pay him. Schlots also must balance his own desires with those of his mother, who wishes for him to become a doctor and attend a medical shadowing program. Also, among the challenges they must face is the school's principal, Mrs. Klein, who tries to see if Lamont is safe to be with the players. During the boys' first days of practice under Lamont's coaching, they become exhausted and frustrated with his coaching style, but intervention by Schlots inspires Lamont to help the team love the game of basketball. One day, Mrs. Klein tries to inconspicuously tail Lamont to follow Lamont when he drives off in his van after practice. Aware of both this and Lamont's homelessness, Schlots tells him to go to a modern apartment complex where his dad is trying to get a tenant for a room he owns. When Schlots opens the door for Lamont, Mrs. Klein is outside the apartment complex. Lamont and Mr. Schlotsky come to an agreement: Lamont can live in the apartment for free Mr. Schlotsky can find a tenant. Later, when the Lions players are anticipating the big Liberty Tournament, Lamont tells the team that he has received an offer for a 10-day contract from the Philadelphia 76ers and he is going to accept it. This means the Lions must try to win the tournament without their coach. The Lions prove successful, winning every game in the tournament. On the day of the final game, Schlots finally confronts his mother and gets her to appreciate his love for basketball. She convinces his best friend Julie to forgive him. The final game in the Liberty Tournament takes place on a stormy night. While it is going on, Schlots' mother drives Julie to it. Then she goes to a 76ers game Lamont is playing to try to convince him to come to the Liberty tournament final, offering to drive Lamont, whose van has broken down to the tournament before he can leave for the airport with the rest of the 76ers. Once Schlots' mother arrives to the game, she speaks to one of Lamont's opponents about Schlots' dreams, and she comes to understand him even more afterward. After she finds Lamont, his car works again and she seems to have begun to understand everybody. The storm eventually knocks out the power in the school's gymnasium. After the school mobilizes an emergency generator for the remainder of the game, the Lions and the Warriors agree to continue the game with the understanding that whenever the fuel in the generator runs out, the game will end and the team with the most points at that time will win. The Warriors devise a plan to make sure it is them: when they are ahead in the game and it becomes clear that the fuel in the generator is moments away from running out, the Warriors will call a timeout that will last until the remaining fuel in the generator is exhausted. The Lions are outraged and discouraged until Lamont appears in the gym and encourages them to not lose faith. The power then once again goes out in the gym – and the Warriors celebrate what they believe is their victory – until the generator restarts despite being out of gas, and the power comes back on. The final moments of the game consist of the Lions catching up to the Warriors, and with the final seconds on the clock ticking down, Schlots passes the ball instead of trying to take the final shot himself, per his usual self, leading to the Lions scoring the winning basket. The entire school celebrates, and Lamont's wife and son enter the gym and announce plans to stay with Lamont, who reveals to the Lions that he plans to become their full-time coach. In the end, Schlots has convinced his mother to let him play basketball and in fact only showed up at the end of the game so she could bring Lamont's family to him while Lamont helped the Lions. The final scene of the movie consists of Schlots and Lamont's families playing a game the basketball with Julie, and Schlots' mother turns out to be a pretty good player. Rabbi Lewis' story of
Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
and how it relates to the basketball game plays over the scene.


Cast

*
Alex D. Linz Alexander David Linz (born January 3, 1989) is an American former child actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television series. His film roles include ''Home Alone 3'' (1997) and ''Max Keeble's Big Move'' (2001). He ...
as Alex "Schlots" Schlotsky *
Richard T. Jones Richard Timothy Jones (born January 16, 1972) is an American actor. He has worked extensively in both film and television productions since the early 1990s. His television roles include '' Ally McBeal'' (1997), '' Judging Amy'' (1998–2005), '' ...
as Lamont Carr * R. H. Thomson as Rabbi Lewis *
Sean Marquette Sean Marquette is an American actor, who is best known for his portrayal as Johnny Atkins in '' The Goldbergs'' and '' Schooled'', and for voicing Mac in the Cartoon Network show ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' (2004–2009). Life and ca ...
as Ben "Big Ben" Swartz *
Erik Knudsen Erik Knudsen (born March 25, 1988) is a Canadian actor. He is known for portraying Daniel Matthews in '' Saw II'', Alec Sadler in '' Continuum'' and Dale Turner in the CBS series ''Jericho''. Life and career Knudsen was born on March 25, 1988 ...
as T. J. Murphy * David Sazant as "Joker" Levy *
Sheila McCarthy Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an A ...
as Mrs. Klein *
Linda Kash Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress. Career An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom '' Style & Substance''. She has also played various roles in popular television series, such as ' ...
as Cynthia Schlotsky *
Jason Blicker Jason Blicker is a Canadian film and television actor.Rita Zekas, "Expats: Ice work if you can get it". ''Toronto Star'', July 19, 2003. He has had several small roles in television series including recurring roles on '' Robocop'', '' F/X: The S ...
as Marshall Schlotsky *
Cassie Steele Cassandra Rae Steele (born December 2, 1989) is a Canadian actress and singer known for portraying Manny Santos on '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and Abby Vargas on '' The L.A. Complex''. In 2014, she played Sarah in the MTV horror televis ...
as Julie * Jack Manchester as Tyler * Ron Gabriel as Coach Simowitz * Stan Coles as Larry * Sean Loucks as Bob, The Referee * Gina Kash as Sarah Lewis * Dan Willmott as Tow Truck Driver * Elle Downes as Charmaine * Jerome Williams as Himself


Reception

Laura Fries of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' was critical of the film, writing that director
Stuart Gillard Stuart Thomas Gillard (born April 28, 1950) is a Canadian film, writer, producer and television director. He is best known for directing the films ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' (1993) and ''RocketMan'' (1997). He also wrote and directed ...
"misses a prime opportunity to present a poignant and entertaining multicultural alternative to the usual holiday viewing". She wrote that Gillard "lays the groundwork for a meaningful drama but inconsistently intersperses fantasy elements and slapstick comedy". Joe Eskenazi of ''
JWeekly ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...
'' found the adult characters one-dimensional but applauded the younger actors. He called the film "cheesy" but nevertheless "sort of liked it".


See also

*
List of basketball films This is a list of films about basketball, featuring notable films where basketball plays a central role in the development of the plot. List See also * List of sports films * List of highest-grossing sports films References {{Sports films ...


References


External links

* {{Stuart Gillard American basketball films Disney Channel Original Movie films Films about Jews and Judaism 2000s English-language films 2003 television films 2003 films Films directed by Stuart Gillard Hanukkah films Films set in Philadelphia Films shot in Toronto 2000s American films