The Red Sneakers

I saw The Red Sneakers and thought that it was okay. The storyline wasn't new or exciting. It was nice use of some well known actors but it didn't help because this movie got no publicity. I did like the sneakers though. I give it a 5 out of 10.

This was on TV when there was nothing else, so I gave it a chance. It's one of those moral-containing family films, where a special lesson is learned by the end. The message is fairly good. The plot isn't bad, it's mostly wrapped up. This can be pretty predictable, and unless you've never seen one of these before, it's not likely to particularly surprise you. The "comedy" consists of gags and jokes that just aren't really funny, and some lack proper set-up. They are usually childish, but never crude or gross. The acting isn't terribly impressive. Editing and cinematography are fine, except for a sequence that looks like they ran out of money and shot it with a hand-held camera, and a use of slow-motion near the conclusion that I'm not sure I'd call the most fortunate or the one that turned out the best in the history of motion pictures. This has a running time of around an hour and a half. The music was the high point for me, at least partially consisting of rap, and the lyrics are "clean"(and extremely obviously written for exactly where they were used, very little room for interpretation). In fact, there's nothing in this that renders it impossible to watch for any age, so anyone can sit down with it, which is clearly what they went for. It's got a little basketball action, nicely captured and exciting, if you're into it. If you can't stand the sport, this is not for you, nor was it intended to be. I recommend this to any person or group who finds this appealing. There are stronger efforts out there, however. 5/10

This is the story of a kid named Reggie. He's good at math but wishes he could play basketball. When he meets a strange junk collector named Zeke, he gets an old pair of sneakers. These sneakers help him to be a good ball player without practicing, but now a shoe company exec is trying to get rid of Reggie's shoes so people will lose interest.

I really thought this was a delightful little film. It was also directed by Gregory Hines, who plays the role of Zeke, and I think he did a fine job at both. This is really aimed at children, but I can enjoy pretty much everything. If you have kids who like basketball than they might want to watch this the next time it comes on TV.

The movie is a typical play sports vs. have a fulfilling life type theme and is somewhat predictable coming down to the last minute of a championship game. However, it is well worth watching as a feel-good family type movie. There are some surprises along with the expected moral to the story. Being from a family full of coaches and basketball players and having a fascination with math definitely made this movie more entertaining for me, but I think it would also be enjoyed by those who are not particularly sports fans. It is one I will recommend to family and friends. Fans of Vincent D'Onofrio will enjoy watching him briefly in a character different than what they are used to. I'm sorry I left this one sitting on the shelf for so long.