38 at the Garden

It's nice looking back on a fun time in sports, and I get chills looking back at a lot of the moments from Linsanity. But the quality of this doc is sub-par, and that's being generous. Youtube videos have done far better than this. While the main message of Asian pride and combating Asian hate is important and needs to be heard, it is also massively over-done, and gets tired. It's sad because a lot of people will tune this doc out because 2/3rds of it is solely devoted to that fact; we just want to re-live that awesome moment in 2012 that we all remember.

It's far too short. They could have gone far deeper with this subject but it's too surface level and focuses on the wrong things too much of the time. But since it's not great, maybe it isn't a bad thing that it's this short, because I just wanted it to be over.

Lin's individual "storytelling" is just strange. He isn't getting interviewed, he's reading off of a script. Really? Everyone else is getting asked questions, but he's just reciting terribly contrived lines with no depth at all and it feels so phony. But on the plus side, Hasan Minhaj, Shumpert, and Chandler gave some very nice bits of info that were absolutely fantastic.

Overall, not really worth a watch, I'd just recommend perusing various YouTube videos on Linsanity to get a more electric experience. Bummer :(

I've heard of Jeremy Lin but I'm not a sports fan so I've never seen him play. It's amazing to see his talent and grace under pressure as a ground breaker. Jeremy had to kick the door down to play, just like Black players had to "break the color line" in the 50s to join the NBA. It shows how POC have to fight to access certain spaces. This film shows Lin's impact and why representation matters not just for the Asian American community but for us all. It's also fun to watch him dominate some of the NBA's elite players. I want to check out some of his games online. The filmmakers also spent time to highlight the rise in violence, hate crimes, and terrorism of the Asian community. This is such an important topic. Bravo for using this moment to educate and spread awareness!

As a casual basketball viewer during the time of Linsanity, I thought it was inspiring to see an undrafted player generate the confidence required to excel in the NBA. The doc gave me greater insight into Lin's foundation and where that confidence came from. Stories of people believing in themselves despite odds transfer a sense of pride we as viewers can tap into in our personal lives. It was beautifully shot and cut in a way that kept me wanting to hear and see what was next. Animations of crowds celebrating during Linsanity took me back to the era where he was going off. Amazing job to the entire team and recommend you give it a watch.

Short Review!

Sorry, had to make this much longer in order to post here.

This is Really, interesting in the inspirational sense.

As an FYI- There is 1 hour (ie deep not a soundbite) podcast interview with producer Travon Free available Larry Wilmore Black on the Air 19 Oct 2022.

It is over an hour so not a simple soudbyte, but a deep conversation about why and how this was /is so important culturally speaking.

It really stimulated conversation with the class in a non basketball playing country!! Bringing up issues such as the 'cognitive blind spot', where we unknowingly can delude ourselves and strip humanity away from 'the other' and ourselves, by ignoring the EVIDENCE right in front of our eyes as in Lin killing it a school, county and state level AND YET is not offered a single scholarship!

Listen to the podcast and then Watch the documentary, and enjoy deep reflective conversations.

Excellent documentary on an inspiring moment in history, all the hard work that led up to it, and how it fits into the context of the Asian American experience today. A moment in history when everyone was caught up watching an underdog succeed in defeating the titans of the game.

Great mix of interviews of fellow players and fans of the NBA along with animation segments to dramatize key moments. Here is an athlete who played at the top of his game while still managing to be a decent human being, imagine that, sometimes rare in professional sports. Should be necessary viewing for all the kids out there looking for motivation and inspiration in pursuing their dreams and ambitions against all odds.