Here’s a very good documentary for all you sports fans and those who like a fine inspirational story. It’s called Linsanity and follows the life of basketball player Jeremy Lin. The film is now available on DVD for the first time.
Lin grew up in a suburb of San Francisco called Palo Alto where he played basketball for his high school. Although a cut above his teammates and his opponents he still had the stigma of being Asian in an American game. With strong determination, fighting off racial slurs and bullying in the early years, Lin finally gets a chance to play college ball at Harvard. Even at a college like Harvard that has a code of ethics, Lin had to deal with racism, more so than African Americans in the sport of Basketball.
His life in basketball continues from there showing his determination to make it to the pros. Director Evan Leong who pushed Lin to do the documentary at a very early age shows film of his ups and downs on his way to becoming a basketball star in high school and to the very edge of his ultimate goal of being a star in the NBA. He keeps his camera tight, catching all the action on the court, in his personal life and the thoughts of his family and friends. It’s a heartfelt movie that inspires anyone reaching for a goal whether it is small or big like Jeremy Lin’s quest for greatness in basketball.
I do not want to spoil anything for the reader even if you know Lin’s accomplishments so I’ll just end the commentary part. I recommend the film very highly for youngsters both male and female who have the determination to achieve a goal in life. Even as you grow older, there are still many goals to accomplish and this inspiring film should be one of your steps. If you are a local basketball coach this documentary would be a very good tool to motivate your players to try harder.
For bonus features Linsanity has a “Kickstart Reel” in which Director Evan Leong shows how he begged Lin to make the documentary; and a very short “Behind the Scenes” featuring Jeremy Lin with some words of wisdom.
The video quality is very good and the camera work shows bright and clear. The sound quality using the 5.1 Dolby Digital allows for easy understanding of the dialogue and sounds of the action on the court.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Jeremy Lin, Daniel Dae Kim (Narrator), Ming Yao
Director: Evan Leong
MPAA Rating: Unrated, no objectionable material
Genre: Sports, Documentary
Running Time: 1 hr 28 min
Video Release Date: January 7, 2014
Original Film Release Date: October 4, 2013
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen “Letterbox” Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
Subtitles: Chinese Simplified
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Ketchup Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
